US deploys 1,500 troops to Middle East
The United States
announced on Friday the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East,
describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran as it accused the
country's Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for this month's tanker
attacks.
US President
Donald Trump publicly announced the 1,500 figure, which had been previously
reported by Reuters, and described it as a defensive measure. The troops
include personnel manning missile defense systems, aerial surveillance to spot
threats and engineers to fortify defenses.
"We want to
have protection in the Middle East. We're going to be sending a relatively
small number of troops, mostly protective," Trump said as he left the
White House for a trip to Japan.
The deployment
marks a reversal of sorts for Trump, who only on Thursday said he thought more
troops were unnecessary. Trump has sought to detangle the US military from
open-ended conflicts in places like Syria and Afghanistan.
The deployment is
relatively small, compared with the about 70,000 American troops now stationed
across a region that stretches from Egypt to Afghanistan. In addition, some 600
of the 1,500 "new" troops are already in the Middle East manning Patriot
missiles, and will see their deployments extended.
Eager to avoid
escalation with Iran amid already heightened tensions, Pentagon officials
stressed the defensive nature of the deployment in a news briefing and noted
that none of the troops would be heading to hot spots like Iraq or Syria.
"These are
defensive forces," said Katie Wheelbarger, one of the Pentagon's most
senior policy officials.
The Trump
administration this month ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike
group, bombers and additional Patriot missiles to the Middle East, citing
intelligence about possible Iranian preparations to attack US forces or
interests.
ATTACKS ON TANKERS
Rear Admiral
Michael Gilday, the director of the Joint Staff, on Friday described US
intelligence portraying a new Iranian "campaign" that used old
tactics, and stretched from Iraq to Yemen to the waters in the Strait of
Hormuz, a vital maritime chokepoint for the global oil trade.
Gilday accused
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of being directly responsible for attacks on
tankers off the United Arab Emirates earlier this month -- in what could be a
foreshadowing of the conclusion of ongoing investigations into the incident.
"The attack
against the shipping in Fujairah, we attribute it to the IRGC," Gilday
said, explaining that the Pentagon attributed limpet mines used in the attack
directly to the IRGC.
He declined to
describe "the means of delivery" of the mines, however.
Gilday also accused
Iran-backed "proxy" forces of carrying out a rocket attack in
Baghdad's Green Zone last week.
The Pentagon did
not provide any evidence to support its claims, but said it hoped to further
declassify intelligence supporting them. Iran has dismissed the accusations
entirely and accuses the United States of brinkmanship with its troop
deployments.
Trump played down
the potential for military conflict in the region, saying he believed Iran did
not want a confrontation with the United States -- even as Washington tightens
sanctions with a goal of pushing Iran to make concessions beyond the terms of
its 2015 nuclear deal.
Trump pulled out of
the international deal between Iran and six major world powers last year.
"Right now, I
don't think Iran wants to fight. And I certainly don't think they want to fight
with us," Trump said.
"But they
cannot have nuclear weapons," he continued. "They can't have nuclear
weapons. And they understand that."