US Orders Deployment of Patriot Defense Systems, Warship In The Middle East

The United States (US) has ordered the deployment of Raytheon's Patriot missile defense systems, SanAntonio-class amphibious warship USS Arlington, and auxiliary equipment to US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East owing to simmering tensions between the US and Iran.

The announcement was made by the Pentagon in a statement on Friday soon after Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan ordered the deployment of the defense equipment.

"The assets will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and the USAF bomber task force in the Middle East region in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and our interests," the statement read.

The US CENTCOM is the command division covering US forces in southwest Asia and northeastern Africa.

"The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military and proxies. Due to operational security, we will not discuss timelines or location of the forces," the Pentagon statement said.

The US secured two Raytheon Patriot missile systems sales deals, one with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for $2.728 Billion and another with Bahrain for $2.478 Billion, in one of the biggest arms sales deals in the Middle East, earlier this week. The country also approved the sale of AH-64E Apache gunships and related equipment to Qatar for $3 billion yesterday.