The United States has increased military deployments to the Middle East, with reports of additional Marines, sailors, warships and Patriot missile batteries being sent amid concerns about Iran.
The Hill reported that the Pentagon was sending more than 4,000 Marines and sailors on three warships, including the USS Makin Island, which it said left San Diego on Monday. Al Jazeera reported a Roosevelt strike group and 2,000 Marines were being deployed as part of a wider buildup around Iran. Axios reported that two additional Patriot batteries were sent in recent weeks to protect oil and gas sites in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, citing two U.S. officials and a regional source.
Axios said the deployments were intended to reassure Saudi Arabia and Qatar about protection for energy facilities if Trump resumes major combat operations against Iran. It reported that Trump said Thursday he was considering renewing a bombing campaign in the coming weeks.