The USS Arlington, shown in December in Morehead City, N.C., has been sent to the Middle East to bolster an aircraft carrier force sent to counter alleged threats from Iran.

MC3 Chris Roys/Navy Office of Information/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump came into office criticizing the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and promised he would try to avoid foreign military engagements. Yet this month the White House has been talking as if conflict with Iran is suddenly on the table. Trump tweeted over the weekend, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran.”

But it’s not clear if U.S. officials have…