Pentagon mulling request to send additional troops to Middle East

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The U.S. Department of Defense is reportedly considering a U.S. military request to send additional troops to the Middle East amid increasing tensions with Iran.

Reports about the number of troops vary: Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday the request was for 5,000 troops, while the Associated Press, citing anonymous Trump administration officials, said the Pentagon is expected to submit plans to send up to 10,000.

Tehran and Washington have this month been escalating rhetoric against each other, following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to try to cut Iran's oil exports to zero and beef up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what he said were Iranian threats.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to Reuters, said the request had been made by U.S. Central Command, but added that it was not clear whether the Pentagon would approve the request.

The Pentagon regularly receives – and declines – requests for additional resources from U.S. combatant commands throughout the world.

It is unclear if any specific request will ultimately be presented to the White House.

The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge sail in the Arabian Sea, May 17, 2019. /Reuters Photo

This appeared to be the latest request for additional resources in the face of what U.S. officials have said are credible threats from Iran against U.S. forces and American interests in the Middle East.

The United States has not publicly shown any evidence of what the specific intelligence on the Iranian threat is.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

"As a matter of longstanding policy, we are not going to discuss or speculate on potential future plans and requests for forces," Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said on Wednesday.

The U.S. military accelerated the deployment of a carrier strike group to the Middle East and sent bombers and Patriot missiles to the region earlier this month.

Trump has warned that Iran would be met with "great force" if it attacked U.S. interests in the Middle East.

The New York Times reported May 14 that the top U.S. defense official had presented an updated military plan to the Trump administration that envisions sending up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack American forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Iran's youth will witness the demise of Israel and American civilizations.

Source(s): Reuters