The United States has once again threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with deploying more than 150 tanks and armored vehicles in Europe.
Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges, commander of the US Army in Europe, said the Pentagon planned to deploy the tanks and vehicles by the end of 2015.
They could be placed in Poland, Romania or the Baltic states, the military commander told Reuters.
"By the end of... 2015, we will have gotten all the equipment for a heavy brigade, that means three battalions plus a reconnaissance squadron, the artillery headquarters, engineers, and it will stay in Europe," Hodges said.
Last month, the Pentagon threatened Russia with redeploying nuclear cruise missiles to Europe, accusing Moscow of violating two arms control treaties.
Washington said Moscow violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
However, Russia denied the allegation and said the testing of a ground-launched cruise missile in July 2014 was in compliance with the INF treaty.
Hodges said the United States currently has about 30,000 troops in Europe plus a similar number of Air Force, Navy and Marine personnel.
He added that the US military would keep the forces in the continent despite budgetary pressures in the country.
The US and its allies accuse Russia of sponsoring military activities in Ukraine. The Kremlin has firmly rejected the accusations.
AGB/AGB
US President Barack Obama’s envoy for coordinating the US-led coalition against ISIL Takfiri militants in Iraq and Syria acknowledges the role of Iran in the fight against the terrorist group.
“From what I saw reading the Treasury Department document which details the objects of the sanctions … the targets are not going to have a major economic effect at all. They are going to have minimal economic effect,” said Gareth Porter in an interview with Press TV on Sunday.
Porter, the author of “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of Iran Nuclear Scare”, added that in his view the Obama administration “was probably not that involved” in imposing the sanctions.
“I think that this is a political move by the most pro-Israel part of the US national security state that is the Treasury Department’s office that deals with sanctions and that part of the treasury department has traditionally been strongly anti Iran.”
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on over 25 individuals and companies including 6 Iranian banks accusing them of violating previous US sanctions on Tehran and aiding country’s missile program.
The new anti-Iran measures are adopted as Iran and the P5+1 group of countries are working to reach a final agreement to resolve the Western standoff on Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
"It is no surprise that they (pro-Israeli groups) put this forward at this moment," Porter added.
The Islamic Republic says imposing such sanctions is contrary to the spirit of ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and the West, adding anti-Iran sanctions are illegal and should be lifted as part of a final nuclear agreement.
The US and its allies accuse Tehran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
The Islamic Republic rejects the allegation as baseless. Iran insists, as a signatory to the NPT, it is entitled to develop a nuclear program for peaceful purposes.
DT/DT
