New US Deployments To Middle East To Include Patriot Battalion, Fighter Jets - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2019) The new US deployment of 1,000 troops to the middle East will be complemented with a Patriot missiles battalion and fighter aircraft, US Department of Defense spokesperson Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich told Sputnik.

"The approximate 1,000 US forces, include a Patriot battalion, manned and unmanned ISR [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance] fighter and mission support aircraft, as well as other deterrence capabilities," Rebarich said on Wednesday.

"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend US forces and interests in the region."

On Monday, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the United States is deploying an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East after the recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the United States has claimed that Iran sabotaged the vessels.