Summary One Patriot battery was deployed to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility, while another was sent to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility, according to the report.
(Web Desk) - The US military has sent two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in recent weeks to protect key oil and gas facilities amid the possibility of renewed US military operations against Iran, Axios reported, citing two US officials and a regional source.
One Patriot battery was deployed to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility, while another was sent to Qatar to defend a natural gas facility, according to the report.
Axios said the deployments were intended to reassure the two US allies that Washington would help protect their energy infrastructure if President Donald Trump decides to resume major combat operations against Iran.
Saudi and Qatari leaders had urged Trump in August not to launch strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, fearing Tehran could retaliate against their own oil and gas facilities, the report said. US officials told Axios those concerns were a key factor in Trump opting at the time for an economic pressure campaign instead.
The deployments come as Washington sends additional warships, troops and aircraft to the Middle East. The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group are among the forces heading to the region.
