President Trump is ordering more troops to the Middle East as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise. CBS News has confirmed that the new deployment of forces to the Persian Gulf will include more Patriot missile batteries and other force protection systems and will be designed for the long-haul confrontation with Iran, CBS News’ David Martin reports, citing U.S. officials.
The move follows Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan’s denial of reports Thursday that between 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. troops could be sent to the region to defend against the potential threat by Iran.
Shanahan told reporters Thursday, “There is no 10,000, there’s no 5,000, and that’s not accurate,” referring to a Reuters report that the Pentagon was considering sending 5,000 defensive troops to the region, and an Associated Press report that up to 10,000 could be deployed. Shanahan he said his focus right now is determining “the right force protection” in the region.
President Trump confirmed that the number was “about 1,500 people” being sent before departing to Japan. Congressional aides confirm to CBS that Congress was previously notified the administration’s plans to send troops to the Middle East.
“We want to have protection the Middle East,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. He said he was sending a “relatively small number” of “very talented” people to the region.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been running higher since the U.S. earlier this month suddenly deployed U.S. bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over threats that have not been specifically described by the U.S. Strife between the two nations has increased over the course of Mr. Trump’s tenure in office since his decision a year ago to pull the U.S. out of the internationally-accepted Iran nuclear deal.
The president has been openly disdainful of the Iranian regime — after a rocket landed near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, he warned Iranian leaders not to threaten the U.S. again or risk facing Iran’s “official end.”
Mr. Trump told reporters on Friday, however that he didn’t think Iran wanted to pick a fight with the U.S., later predicting that things are going to be “very good in the Middle East.”
David Martin and Emily Tillett contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.
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