US officials have said that the Pentagon will present plans to the White House on Thursday to dispatch some 10,000 more American troops to the Middle East to beef up defences against potential Iranian threats.
No decision has been taken on this and it is not certain whether the White House will approve sending all or just some of the requested 10,000 forces, say officials at the headquarters of the US Department of Defence.
But they added, on condition of anonymity, that the additional troops will be defensive forces, and the discussions could include more ships and Patriot missile batteries for monitoring Iran, the second largest country in the Middle East.
Thursday’s meeting is being held as tensions with Iran continue to simmer. Defence leaders had told congressional officials on Tuesday that the US did not want to go to war with Iran and wanted to de-escalate the situation.
Sources said any move to deploy more forces to the Middle East would signal a shift for Donald Trump, who has repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce America’s troop presence in the region.