The Pentagon said Friday that the US will move a Patriot missile battery into the Middle East region to counter threats from Iran.
The department provided no details, but a defense official said the move comes after intelligence showed that the Iranians have loaded military equipment and missiles onto small boats. The official was not authorized to discuss the information publicly so spoke anonymously.
It was not clear whether the boats with missiles represented a new military capability that could be used against US forces or were only being moved to shore locations.
The US removed Patriot missile batteries from Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan late last year. It wasn’t clear if the batteries would go back to those countries. The Patriot air defense system is meant to intercept both incoming aircraft and long-range ballistic missiles.
Also on Friday, the US Maritime Administration warned that Iran could try to attack American commercial vessels, including oil tankers, Reuters reported.
US officials announced Sunday that they would rush an aircraft carrier strike group and nuclear-capable bombers to the region.
On Thursday, Trump said he sought talks with Iran.
“What I would like to see with Iran, I would like to see them call me,”Trump told reporters at the White House. “We don’t want them to have nuclear weapons — not much to ask.”
“We have information that you don’t want to know about,” Trump said. “They were very threatening and we have to have great security for this country and many other places.”
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command, told Reuters he would bring the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln through the Gulf’s sensitive Strait of Hormuz if need be.
“If I need to bring it inside the strait, I will do so,” Malloy said. “I’m not restricted in any way, I’m not challenged in any way, to operate her anywhere in the Middle East.”
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