According to a report by the American news site Axios on October 1st, two US officials and a regional source revealed that over the past few weeks, the US military has deployed two sets of 'Patriot' missile systems to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in order to protect the oil and natural gas facilities of both countries.
The report indicates that the United States hopes to use this opportunity to assure these two allies that if U.S. President Trump decides to resume large-scale military actions against Iran, the United States will protect the two countries’ key energy facilities.
Trump said on the 1st that he was considering resuming bombing of Iran in the coming weeks. "I must make a decision now: either Iran signs the agreement, or it will cease to exist," he said.
In early August, Trump considered launching a large-scale attack that would include targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure. Leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the time advised Trump not to do so. They expressed serious concerns, believing that Iran might retaliate by targeting the oil and gas facilities of both countries.
American officials said that the dissuasion from both countries was an important reason why Trump ultimately decided not to launch an attack and instead took economic pressure measures.
Last month, the US military deployed an additional set of "Patriot" missile systems to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility. Another set of "Patriot" systems was deployed to Qatar to protect a natural gas facility.
According to reports, if the United States resumes large-scale military operations, it will need to use Saudi airspace. Whether Saudi Arabia agrees depends on whether the United States can ensure the safety of Saudi oil and gas facilities.
Since the military strikes against Iran by the United States and Israel, the Patriot missile system, especially its interceptor missiles, has become a scarce asset that various parties are vying for. The U.S. military has deployed Patriot systems and interceptor missiles from other combat zones to the Middle East, which has raised concerns about potential impacts on the military capabilities of the U.S. in other regions.
