Washington has moved additional air-defense resources into the Persian Gulf, sending two Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar in recent weeks. The deployments are intended to help shield major energy installations from possible attacks, according to reporting by Axios, which cited two American officials and a regional source.

The decision comes amid concerns in Riyadh and Doha about the possibility of renewed Iranian military action. Those concerns reportedly factored into President Donald Trump’s decision in August to refrain from striking Iran and pursue economic measures instead, US officials told Axios.

Saudi Arabia’s cooperation would also be important in any future American military campaign against Iran, since Washington would need Riyadh’s authorization to operate through Saudi airspace, the report noted.

Trump has continued pressing Tehran to reach an agreement with the United States, warning of potentially devastating consequences if negotiations fail. On Thursday, he stated: “either Iran signs the deal, or it won’t exist any longer.”

American Military Reinforcements Continue Arriving in the Region

The deployment of the Patriot systems is taking place alongside a wider expansion of American forces in the Middle East. A US official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the Pentagon was preparing to send another aircraft carrier and an additional Marine division to the region.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Francisco on Sunday and is now making its way toward the Middle East for an extended assignment, accompanied by the additional Marine forces.

According to US Naval Institute News, the carrier is heading toward the area overseen by US Central Command, where it could assume duties currently performed by the USS Washington. However, an American official told Axios that the Pentagon had not yet settled on whether the Roosevelt would replace another carrier already deployed there.

Additional naval forces are also operating in the Arabian Sea. The USS Boxer amphibious ready group, which includes the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed alongside the USS Portland and the USS Comstock.