The United States has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in recent weeks to help defend critical oil and natural gas facilities, Axios reported Thursday, citing two US officials and a regional source, as Washington shores up its military posture amid the prospect of renewed combat with Iran.
One of the batteries was sent to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility, while the other was deployed to Qatar to defend a natural gas installation, according to the report. US officials said the deployments are intended to reassure the two Gulf allies that Washington would help defend their energy infrastructure if President Donald Trump decides to resume major military operations against Iran.
The move traces back to concerns raised in August, when Trump was weighing a large-scale strike on Iran that could have included its energy infrastructure. Saudi and Qatari leaders urged him against such action at the time, warning that Tehran could retaliate by striking their own oil and gas facilities; officials told Axios those warnings were a key factor behind Trump’s decision to pursue economic pressure rather than military escalation. Any resumption of full-scale combat operations against Iran would also require Saudi Arabia to grant the US use of its airspace.
The Patriot deployments come as Washington continues building up its regional military presence, with additional warships, fighter jets and troops moving into the Middle East, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. Trump has continued to press Iran over a broader settlement, saying this week that Tehran faced a stark choice between signing a deal or facing further consequences, even as indirect, Qatar-mediated talks between the two sides have continued.
