WSJ Claims US Is Deploying Troops to Middle East. Pentagon Instantly Denies

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On December 4^th, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was considering deploying “dozens of ships” and upwards of 14,000 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran.

The report has since been rebuffed by the Pentagon, which said that it is entirely “wrong.”

It was denied by Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah on Twitter.

To be clear, the reporting is wrong. The U.S. is not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

— Alyssa Farah (@PentagonPresSec) December 5, 2019

As per the WSJ’s unnamed sources, the additional US service members would follow the 14,000 troops who were deployed to the region in May “for the purpose of defense of our interests and assets in the region and also to reestablish deterrence with respect to Iran in the wake of an attack on Saudi Arabia.”

This rumor followed a rumor, reported by CNN on December 3^rd on “fresh intelligence” that suggested Iran was preparing for an attack on US troops and wished to impede US interests in the Middle East.

Iran was also exploring the use of “suicide drones” near US positions in the Middle East, according to a Newsweek report published on December 4^th.

“I would expect that if we look at the past three or four months, it’s possible they will do something that is irresponsible. It’s possible that they’ll lash out at their neighbors,” US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said in Bahrain weeks earlier. “It is not going to be productive for them in the long term to choose to act out in the military domain. That’s the message that we’re trying to convey.”

The, now denied, rumor, if real would mean US President Donald Trump and his administration would, once again, walk back on their vows to pull back from “ridiculous wars”

….down, watching over a quagmire, & spending big dollars to do so. When I took over, our Military was totally depleted. Now it is stronger than ever before. The endless and ridiculous wars are ENDING! We will be focused on the big picture, knowing we can always go back & BLAST!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2019

In mid-November, the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in a show of force aimed at reassuring allies worried about the Iran threat, according to MSM. In reality, the Abraham Lincoln was allowed to sail through the Strait due to the Thanksgiving holiday, for sailors to have a day off, despite the alleged threat presented by Iran.

In October, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that two fighter squadrons and additional missile defence batteries were being sent to Saudi Arabia, for a total of about 3,000 new troops.

A Pentagon official on December 4^th said that the US believed the Iran threat was real, and there were reasons to consider that something might happen, but without disclosing anything additional.

“We also continue to see indications, and for obvious reasons I won’t go into the details, that potential Iranian aggression could occur,” John Rood, the Pentagon’s number three official said.

“We’ve sent very clear and blunt signals to the Iranian government about the potential consequences of aggression,” Rood said.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• CNN Claims ‘Fresh Intelligence’ Suggests Iran Is Preparing Attacks On US Forces
• Iran’s Military Capabilities In View Of US Defense Intelligence Agency
• 330 Supposed CIA Operatives Detained In Iran In 2019
• Pompeo’s Self-Proclaimed Resolute Impeccability And Big Bad Iranian Regime

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