The United States Increases Troops into the Middle East

The Pentagon intends to increase naval air, ground troops, and weapons into the middle east to deter unrest and the threat of nuclear warfare. Amidst turbulent protests, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire with heavy-duty machine guns killing at least 1,000 Iranian citizens.[1] In direct violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution, Iran led maritime attacks and bombings within historically stable Saudi Arabia. When the crew of a U. S. Navy ship in the Arabian Sea boarded an unmarked vessel, they found sophisticated Iranian anti-tank missile parts bound for Yemen according to CBS News correspondent David Martin. The French, German, and English ambassadors reporting to the United Nations Security Council on December 4, 2019, insisted that Iran has developed nuclear ballistic missiles jeopardizing the entire region.[2]

United States Blamed for Iranian Aggression

Iranian pride and 75% of its income and exports are based on Iranian oil and natural gas.[3] Seven thousand protestors were forcibly herded into two concentration-camp style prisons, Tehran claims, due to the financial sanctions on Iranian oil exports imposed by the United States. Iranian currency lost 60% of its value in 2019, and 36% of Iran's 80 million under 25-year-old youth are unemployed.[4] The United States is offering a $15 million reward for the location of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Abdul Reza Shahalai who is supporting rebel forces in Yemen.[5] He's perpetrated numerous attacks on U.S. troops, and he failed in his planned attack to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador while he was in Washington, D.C.

Iran Threatens Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen

On December 5, 2019, Iran moved short-range missiles onto Iraqi soil.[6] Iranian missiles threaten Iraq and neighboring Saudi Arabia. Additional air, sea, and ground forces are needed to prevent Iran from inciting further protests or war in the region. Protestors in Lebanon and Iraq are rejecting Iranian influence. Eight journalists were arrested in Iran as U.S. CIA operatives during the end of November 2019. Shortly after the journalists’ arrest, the crew of the USS Forrest Sherman summoned the Coast Guard for assistance with a small wooden vessel of unknown origin. Navy and Coast Guard personnel stopped, boarded, and inspected the boat loaded with weapons and missile components bound for Yemen. The U.S. has confiscated numerous smaller arms shipments to Yemen but the missile shipment is the largest.

Iran's Ballistic Missile Inventory

Iran owns the greatest variety and the largest quantity of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. U.S. intelligence believes that the Iranian military can strike all locations within Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. [6] Iran's Shahab-3 medium-range missile contains a category 1 re-entry system capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Equal power is required to intercept and deter Iran's quest for power. Iran insists missiles were not included in the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The Iranian Shahab-3 Missile

The Shahab-3 missile can be launched from a silo or a Transporter-Erector-Launcher base. [7] The Shahab-3 technology is believed to be of Russian or Chinese origin and under development in Iran since 1990 and ready to launch in 2003. The Shabab-3 reaches 1,300 kilometers from its base, and it carries a 1,200-kilogram helium, chemical, or nuclear warhead. The Shahab-3 missile was built under the auspices of the Iran Aviation Industries Organization. Its separate reentry vehicle represents the development of long-range multi-stage missiles with heavy payloads. Its Chinese technology is accurate within 2500 meters. Iran’s Shahab-3 is operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and not by the Iranian army.

14,000 Additional U.S. Troops Deploy to the Middle East

In October 2019, the pentagon vowed to send 1,800 troops to Saudi Arabia to deter Iranian aggression. Our long-term ally, Saudi Arabia, “has agreed to pay us for everything we’re doing to help them” according to President Trump. Two additional fighter squadrons, additional patriot missiles, and a stationary Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) jammer was installed to intercept enemy communications and disable their missile launches. [9] The THAAD system is also capable of launching missiles to intercept and detonate Shahab-3 missiles in flight.

U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and U.S.S. Harry Truman

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which supports 6,000 naval strike group troops, moved into the Persian Gulf in November 2019. [11] The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) will finally deploy to the Middle East. USS Lincoln will remain in the Persian Gulf until the USS Truman replaces it. The USS Normandy (CG-60), the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98), USS Lassen (DDG-82), and USS Farragut (DDG-99) are protecting the USS Lincoln in the Middle East.

[1] https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/crime/article/US-Iran-may-have-killed-more-than-1-000-in-14884362.php
[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-seizes-iran-missile-parts-yemen-pentagon-denies-considering-14000-more-american-troops-middle-east/
[3] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/tehrans-oil-dysfunction
[4] https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/06/us-sanctions-cut-iranian-oil-exports-by-five-times-and-iran-is-in-economic-depression.html
[5] https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/crime/article/US-Iran-may-have-killed-more-than-1-000-in-14884362.php
[6] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-considers-sending-thousands-more-troops-to-middle-east-to-deter-iran/ar-BBXPe6h
[7] https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/shahab-3/
[8] https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-14-000-more-troops-for-mideast-11575494228
[9] https://www.mda.mil/system/thaad.html
[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-to-send-additional-troops-to-saudi-arabia-to-boost-defenses-against-iran/2019/10/11/7b8c8de6-ec42-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html
[11] https://news.usni.org/2019/11/19/carrier-lincoln-enters-persian-gulf-after-6-months-nearby-truman-back-at-sea-ahead-of-relieving-lincoln