This as tensions between Iran and America ratchet up in the wake of several attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane last week which Washington has blamed on Tehran, a charge the latter denies.

"The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region," acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday.

The troops will complement plans for a broader US military package, including a total of 10,000 forces, Patriot missile batteries, aircraft and ships, Haaretz reports.

Hawks in President Donald Trump’s administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, have embarked on a campaign to persuade leaders in Asia and Europe that Iran was indeed behind last week’s attacks.

Iran has vehemently denied this, saying if it intended to block oil tankers passing through its territorial waters in the Hormuz Straits it would announce such a decision publicly.

Critics, meanwhile, have asserted that the attacks could have been a false flag operation orchestrated by a number of Iran's enemies through their regional proxies in a bid to provoke a conflagration.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel all consider Iran a mortal enemy and have sided with Washington against it while outlining the possible necessity for a military campaign against Iran to halt what they describe as its dangerous nuclear ambitions. 

However, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the Iranians had abided by their 2015 nuclear agreement commitments with Western powers - until recently.

The two tankers targeted last week in the Hormuz Straits, a vital route for transporting oil to Europe and beyond, belonged to neutral countries Norway and Japan, which are not hostile to Iran. 

The timing of the attacks was also curious as they were carried out during a rare visit to Tehran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was there to mediate between Iran and the US.

The Norwegian owners of the Front Altair said its crew had been rescued unharmed and transferred to an Iranian port by the Iranian navy while an unconvinced Tokyo has requested the United States to provide concrete evidence to back its assertion that Iran is to blame for the attacks. 

Furthermore, Western security agencies despite all their sophisticated equipment and experience - while pointing the finger at Iran - have nonetheless failed to come up with proof of its involvement.

However, it can't be ruled out that the Iranians, or some of their regional proxies including Yemen's Houthis who are waging a war against the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are behind the attacks.

Meanwhile, in an ominous sign, Tehran on Monday stated that on June 27 it will breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under the nuclear deal it reached with Western powers in 2015.

The move follows Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal - which was aimed at easing sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran limiting its nuclear ambitions - last year and its re-introduction of sanctions on Iran. 

Such sanctions are aimed at crippling Iran’s oil exports, vital for its weakened economy, and Iran consider their continuation a red line.

Upping the ante a White House National Security Council spokesman said Iran's Monday declaration amounted to "nuclear blackmail". 

African News Agency (ANA)