The United States is bolstering its military presence in the Middle East and adding air defence systems to oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Axios reported on Friday, as President Donald Trump weighs resuming military action against Iran.
According to the report, two US officials and a regional source said the US military has sent two additional Patriot missile batteries to the region in recent weeks to protect energy facilities in the two Gulf countries.
Why now
Axios reported that the deployment is intended to reassure two US allies and protect their vital energy infrastructure in case Trump decides to renew the bombing campaign against Iran. On Thursday, the president said he was considering resuming strikes in the coming weeks. "Now I have to make a decision: Either Iran signs the agreement, or it will no longer exist," Trump said at the White House.
In early August, Trump had considered launching another attack against Iran but backed down after the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar pressed him not to. If Washington decides to strike Iran again, it will need Riyadh's approval to use Saudi airspace — something the Saudis would be less likely to grant if they believed their energy facilities were inadequately protected.
US Central Command declined to comment on the Axios report.
The wider buildup
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the Pentagon is sending a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to the Middle East, with between 9,000 and 10,000 US troops expected to arrive with the carrier strike group by the end of November. The Roosevelt left its San Diego home port on Sunday on a scheduled deployment.
The Roosevelt will join the USS George H.W. Bush, in the region since March, and the USS George Washington, which arrived from Japan during the summer. A US source told Axios the three-carrier presence would mean "significantly greater firepower", though it is not yet decided whether the Roosevelt will replace one of the carriers currently stationed there or join them.
The moves come as the US-Iran war enters its eighth month. The two sides held indirect talks on the sidelines of last week's UN General Assembly in New York, but Trump has continued to threaten new military action. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran had "never shied away from talks, and we never will".
Sources: Reports: U.S. Boosts Middle East Forces, Deploys Air Defenses to Saudi Arabia, Qatar — Haaretz, US to send third aircraft carrier towards Iran: US official to Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera
According to the report, two US officials and a regional source said the US military has sent two additional Patriot missile batteries to the region in recent weeks to protect energy facilities in the two Gulf countries.
Why now
Axios reported that the deployment is intended to reassure two US allies and protect their vital energy infrastructure in case Trump decides to renew the bombing campaign against Iran. On Thursday, the president said he was considering resuming strikes in the coming weeks. "Now I have to make a decision: Either Iran signs the agreement, or it will no longer exist," Trump said at the White House.
In early August, Trump had considered launching another attack against Iran but backed down after the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar pressed him not to. If Washington decides to strike Iran again, it will need Riyadh's approval to use Saudi airspace — something the Saudis would be less likely to grant if they believed their energy facilities were inadequately protected.
US Central Command declined to comment on the Axios report.
The wider buildup
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the Pentagon is sending a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to the Middle East, with between 9,000 and 10,000 US troops expected to arrive with the carrier strike group by the end of November. The Roosevelt left its San Diego home port on Sunday on a scheduled deployment.
The Roosevelt will join the USS George H.W. Bush, in the region since March, and the USS George Washington, which arrived from Japan during the summer. A US source told Axios the three-carrier presence would mean "significantly greater firepower", though it is not yet decided whether the Roosevelt will replace one of the carriers currently stationed there or join them.
The moves come as the US-Iran war enters its eighth month. The two sides held indirect talks on the sidelines of last week's UN General Assembly in New York, but Trump has continued to threaten new military action. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran had "never shied away from talks, and we never will".
Sources: Reports: U.S. Boosts Middle East Forces, Deploys Air Defenses to Saudi Arabia, Qatar — Haaretz, US to send third aircraft carrier towards Iran: US official to Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera
