Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday that Iran or its proxy forces could be planning further strikes on American interests in the Middle East, and the U.S. is prepared to take military action if it receives a proven threat. “The game has changed,” Esper said, in reference to the recent attacks on U.S. soldiers and compounds in Iraq by Iran-supported militia groups, namely Kataeb Hezbollah. “We’re prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in the region.” The Pentagon on Tuesday deployed additional Army paratroopers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Baghdad after a crowd of Iran-backed militia members and their supporters attacked the U.S. embassy building. Esper, alongside Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. has “indications” that there could be a further threat posed by Iran. Milley said that if the group makes another attack on the embassy, it will run into a “buzzsaw.”
