, An increased U.S. naval presence in the Gulf is not a response to any action by Iran but a message to all countries that the United States will keep its regional footprint “for a long time,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Dec. 22.
CBS News reported on Dec. 18 that a projected naval buildup was intended to discourage what U.S. officials view as increasingly provocative acts by Tehran pressing for a nuclear program and support for Shiite militias in Iraq.
“I don
