President Trump has had a mixed reception to the conflicts in the Middle East on the terms of peace and war. On one hand, he has tried to remove U.S. soldiers from Syria and is an active promoter of U.S.-Israeli continuing U.S. support to provide military aid and equipment. Trump is now making a decision to send soldiers to aid the U.S.’s ally, Saudi Arabia. 

As tensions run high between the U.S. and Iran, more fuel was added to the fire when Saudi Arabia reported an attack on its oil facilities which they blame on Iran. The U.S. has kept favorable relations with one of the world’s last monarchies, as Saudi Arabia is one of the few U.S. allies in the Middle East along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. Iran, on the other hand, has been at odds with the U.S. for decades ever since the U.S. backed the Pahlavi Dynasty, which toppled during the Iranian Revolution. 

But despite Saudi Arabia’s claims, Iran denies participation in the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. The U.S. has decided to support Saudi Arabia and the UAE by sending hundreds of troops and significant military equipment to its Middle Eastern allies. This effectively means that the U.S. is not taking any direct action to attack or provoke Iran, though.

 Defense Secretary Mark Esper has stated that “this [is] only the first step and further action could be taken down the road.” Additionally, General Joseph Dunford, Jr. of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has provided details on the deployment of American soldiers with a “moderate deployment” of a few hundred soldiers while other sources, including the Associated Press, report military supplies such as “Patriot missile batteries and possibly enhanced radars.”

This move is an escalation of rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran which seems to indicate that a larger conflict may be brewing. Trump remains confident that the U.S. is at the advantage as he says that this move “shows far more strength” than knocking “out 15 different major things in Iran.” 

Trump also seems to be anticipating what Iran will do next. Both the U.S. and Iran seem hesitant to make the first move as Iran has reacted with this increase in military support to Saudi Arabia and the UAE by stating that it is ready for “any scenario” and also “if anyone crosses our border, we will hit them” referring to an incident where a U.S.surveillance drone was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran also vows “full destruction of any aggressor” if there is any retaliation against Iran justified by the attack on Saudi Arabia.

Photo courtesy of WXYZ.COM