WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Thursday presented proposals to the White House to send military reinforcements to the Middle East to beef up defenses against Iran as tensions heighten in the region. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters before the meeting, said he was not convinced the troops were needed but would do whatever was necessary.
"We'll see what happens with Iran," said Trump. "I don't think we're going to need them, I really don't, but we're going to have a meeting on it in about an hour. I would certainly send troops if we need them."
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters the Defense Department has not yet determined how many troops might be sent to reinforce the existing U.S. military presence in the region.
He disputed reports that the Pentagon was proposing to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Middle East. He said reports citing specific figures were "not correct," but he would not say whether the numbers under consideration were higher or lower.
"What we're focused on right now is, do we have the right force protection in the Middle East?" Shanahan said, referring to defensive forces. "It may involve sending additional troops."
He said he was in regular contact with Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the Central Command chief, about how to shape the U.S. force presence in the Middle East with potential Iranian threats in mind.
Officials said the proposed troop reinforcements are not a response to any new threat from Iran but are aimed at strengthening security for the U.S. forces already in the region. They said the troops would be defensive forces, and the discussions include additional Patriot missile batteries, more ships and increased efforts to monitor Iran.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans have not been formally announced.
Any move to deploy more forces to the Middle East would signal a shift for Trump, who has repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce America's troop presence in the region.
"The threat is real. It's been credible," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Thursday, declining to confirm troop levels. "Without getting into specifics you can be sure that President Trump will ensure that we have all the resources necessary to respond in the event that the Islamic Republic of Iran should decide to attack America or American interests."
Pompeo said Trump was evaluating the force posture in the region "every day."
"We're evaluating the risks, making sure that we have it right," he told Fox and Friends.
U.S. officials have provided few details about possible Iranian threats but indicated they initially involved missiles loaded onto small Iranian boats. This week officials said the missiles have been taken off the boats near Iran's shore, but other maritime threats continue.
Sending more troops could also raise questions on Capitol Hill. During back-to-back closed briefings for the House and Senate on Tuesday, defense leaders told congressional officials the U.S. doesn't want to go to war with Iran and wants to de-escalate the situation.
Pompeo and Shanahan told lawmakers that the U.S. is seeking to deter, not provoke, Iran, even while accusing Tehran of threatening U.S. interests in the Middle East. Shanahan told reporters, "Our biggest focus at this point is to prevent Iranian miscalculation."
Many in Congress are skeptical of the administration's approach to Iran, questioning whether it is responding to significant new Iranian threats or escalating a situation that could lead to war.
"I've looked at all the intelligence over the past two weeks," Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, said Thursday on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. "The unanswered question is who is provoking whom? As we escalate sending more troops, moving aircraft carriers, we view it as preventive and as defensive. They view it as provocative and leading up to a pre-emptive attack."
In early May, the U.S. accelerated the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East and sent four B-52 bomber aircraft to the region. The Pentagon also decided to move a Patriot air-defense missile battery to an undisclosed country in the area.
The Trump administration has evacuated nonessential personnel from Iraq, over unspecified threats the administration said are linked to Iranian-backed militias in the country.
On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries and no group claimed responsibility, but the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad -- which is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.
Some Democrats say Trump is responsible for drawing Iran's ire. Last year he abruptly pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, negotiated during former President Barack Obama's administration to prevent Iran from nuclear weapons production, without crafting a coherent strategy for how to combat other Iranian behavior such as supporting extremist organizations. He also has reimposed punishing sanctions that have crippled Tehran's economy, and designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization in April.
"I have yet to see any exhibited strategy," said Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, a former CIA officer. She said she finds many of the administration's recent statements on Iran to be "deeply troubling."
Earlier this month, the U.S. withdrew waivers that allowed countries including India and China to purchase Iranian oil despite sanctions, as the Trump administration tries to ratchet up economic pressure on Iran's government.
The president said Monday that the U.S. has seen no signs that Iran was planning an attack on American forces, but he issued a warning.
"We have no indication that anything is happening or will happen," Trump told reporters. "But if it does, it will be met with great force."
He has invited the country's leaders to negotiate a new version of the nuclear accord. So far, they have refused.
"I only want them to call if they're ready," Trump said. "If they're not ready, they don't have to bother."
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said Thursday that his country will not bend to American pressure. Iran's Fars News Agency reported that Iran's top military chief on Thursday described the standoff between Washington and Tehran as a "clash of wills," warning against any enemy "adventurism."
Information for this article was contributed by Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns of The Associated Press; by John Harney and Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg News; and by Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times.
A Section on 05/24/2019