20 Nov 2019; MEMO: The Trump administration yesterday informed Congress that it has deployed an additional 3,000 troops to the Middle East in a bid to counter the perceived growing threat posed by Iran, some of whom have already arrived in Saudi Arabia.
“United States Armed Forces have been deployed to the Middle East to protect United States interests and enhance force protection in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces,” President Donald Trump informed Congress in a letter.
“Iran has continued to threaten the security of the region, including by attacking oil and natural gas facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2019. To assure our partners, deter further Iranian provocative behavior, and bolster regional defensive capabilities, additional United States Armed Forces have been ordered to deploy to the Middle East.”
A portion of this deployment has already arrived in the kingdom with the remainder set to arrive in the coming weeks. Radar and missile defence systems have also been deployed to protect oil interests from further attacks.
Last month it was reported that Trump was planning on potentially sending “thousands” of additional troops to bolster US military presence in Saudi in the wake of the Aramco attacks, which Washington and Riyadh blamed on Iran despite Yemen’s Houthi movement claiming responsibility.
