U.S. Directs 900 New Middle East Troops to Saudi Arabia, Qatar
The U.S. also remains focused on protecting freedom of navigation and the flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz,
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. sent additional troops directed to the Middle East to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as America’s standoff with Iran shows few signs of abating, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said.
“I don’t see a change in any behavior,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday en route to Indonesia, when asked about Iran. “The situation still remains tense. It is a high-threat environment.”
President Donald Trump ordered more forces to the Middle East as the Pentagon blamed Tehran for recent attacks on ships and oil pipelines in the region. While the president vowed to bolster forces by about 1,500 troops, approximately 600 of them were already in the region. Trump said the deployment was for defensive purposes with a focus on missile defense, surveillance and keeping open shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf.
The moves came after the Trump administration said it had evidence Iran was threatening other attacks on American interests or allies in the region, a claim officials in Tehran rejected. The administration earlier this month expedited the deployment of a carrier battle group to the Middle East along with a Patriot missile battery and additional bombers. That deployment “deterred attacks on our people in Iraq,” Shanahan said.
The U.S. also remains focused on protecting freedom of navigation and the flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz, Shanahan said, adding “We have the ability to defend ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
After tensions between Iran and Washington spiked earlier this month, the size of the deployment suggested the administration wanted to avoid fueling fears of another Middle East war. That point was emphasized by Shanahan, who said “I don’t think anyone wants a war with Iran.”
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, in a briefing with reporters in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, said the U.S. is “very concerned” that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps would use allied Shiite militia groups in Iraq to attack U.S. targets such as the American Embassy in Baghdad. Iran also has surrogates in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the Gaza Strip.
Bolton warned Iran’s proxies not to attack U.S. interests, saying any assault would “risk a very strong response.”
Shanahan landed in Jakarta on Wednesday evening as part of a tour through Asia that will include a stop later this week at the Shangri-la Dialogue defense policy forum, where he’ll give a keynote speech on June 1 and meet with China’s defense minister.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Jakarta at gcarey8@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Ben Holland
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