How the Trump administration got into a showdown with Iran that could lead to war

Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about a potential war with Iran amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. The Trump administration has rejected the notion it's moving toward war despite deploying military assets to the region in response to alleged threats. Critics of President Donald Trump believe the situation is being driven and escalated by National Security John Bolton, who has a long record of animosity toward Iran. Some reports have suggested the Trump administration is planning on sending 120,000 troops to the Middle East as part of a plan to take on Iran. Trump rejected these reports, but said he'd “send a hell of a lot more troops than that” if necessary.Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.Rising tensions between the US and Iran have sparked fears of a military confrontation and potentially an all-out war. Democrats, including a number of candidates for the 2020 Democratic nomination, have warned that President Donald Trump and his National Security Adviser John Bolton are “inching” toward conflict. Meanwhile, the Trump administration rejects the notion that they are seeking a war and Iranian leaders have made similar assertions. But many lawmakers and experts in the US are still concerned. Here's a timeline of the evolving situation, and a summary of what both countries have been saying. Read more: The US is sending a ton of firepower to take on Iran — here's everything headed its wayRead more: Trump says he'd send 'a hell of a lot more' than 120,000 troops to fight Iran if it came to thatRead more: Democrats are raising alarms about Trump 'inching' toward war with Iran, but experts are torn over what happens next