As many as 14,000 additional U.S. troops and dozens of ships could soon be deployed to the Middle East in order to counter Iran, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
President Trump has long said he doesn't want the U.S. involved in foreign conflicts, but after listening to Israel and his advisers, he believes Tehran poses a major threat, the officials said. Iran has denied being involved in several incidents in the region, including an attack on Saudi oil facilities in September, and military leaders are growing more concerned about an attack on U.S. interests in the region, the Journal reports.
Trump could make an announcement as early as this month, and it's possible he will approve a smaller deployment. Depending on the number of ships in the area and rotation of ground troops, there are anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan; since May, 14,000 service members have been sent to the region.
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