As I talked about in a previous article, Iran has been moving short range ballistic missiles into Iraq. This has created heightened sense of urgency within the US to mobilize more troops into the Middle East. Some estimates are up to 14,000 additional troops, albeit a more realistic number would be somewhere in the 4,000 to 7,000 range. The troops would mostly be implemented in an effort to beef up US air defense in the Middle East, enabling a better evaluation of the weapon movements across borders.
The Iranian missiles could pose a threat to US forces stationed in Iraq, as well as potential attacks on Saudia Arabia. This all comes at a time where numerous countries have been concerned about Iran’s nuclear development. Germany, France, and the U.K. have announced their concern over Iran in a letter to the UN, alleging that Tehran has developed missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Tensions continue to grow between Iran and the West as President Trump’s economic sanctions continue to hurt their economy. In late November the US Navy intercepted a ship in the Arabian Sea carrying “the most sophisticated weapons seized by the US Navy to date”. The missile components are suspected to be of Iranian origin and their destination target was apparently for Yemen.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/05/politics/pentagon-troop-boost-mideast-iran/index.html