The US military has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in recent weeks to help protect key oil and natural gas facilities, Axios reported Thursday, citing two US officials and a regional source.
The deployments are intended to reassure the two US allies that Washington would defend their critical energy infrastructure if President Donald Trump decides to resume major military operations against Iran. Last month, one Patriot battery was sent to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility, while another was deployed to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility.
The moves follow concerns raised in early August, when Trump was considering a major attack on Iran that could have included strikes on its energy infrastructure. The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar urged Trump not to proceed, warning that Iran could retaliate by targeting their oil and gas facilities.
US officials told Axios that the concerns played a key role in Trump's decision to abandon a major attack and pursue an economic pressure campaign instead.
Saudi Arabia would also need to permit US forces to use its airspace if major combat operations against Iran resume. According to the report, Riyadh could be reluctant to grant such access if it does not believe its energy infrastructure is adequately protected.
A spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), Capt. Tim Hawkins, declined to comment.
At the same time, Washington is reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East with additional warships, fighter aircraft and troops amid the possibility of renewed fighting.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and its strike group departed San Diego “quietly" on Sunday and are expected to reach the region around mid-November, according to a US official cited by Axios.
The Roosevelt would join the USS George H.W. Bush, which has been deployed in the region since March, and the USS George Washington, which was sent from Japan during the summer and has been in the region for about a month. “This means the Middle East region could potentially have up to three aircraft carrier strike groups. This is much more firepower," the US official said.
A second US official said, however, that it has not yet been decided whether the Roosevelt will replace one of the carriers currently deployed in the Middle East or arrive as an additional carrier.
The report came after Trump said at an event in Texas that Iran is “ready to fold up" and again predicted that the war with Tehran could end shortly after the November midterm elections.
He said the conflict would end “one way or the other...either they'll do something very proper and smart or they won't be around very long, which is, you know, frankly, I hate to see that, but they won't be around very long."
Trump made similar remarks Wednesday, saying the US was nearing a decision on its next steps toward Iran and indicating that Washington could either carry out additional strikes or reach an agreement with Tehran.
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