The Trump administration has “quietly” set the stage in recent weeks to potentially “resume major combat operations against Iran,” Axios’ Barak Ravid reported on Thursday night, citing multiple U.S. officials.
On Sunday, the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group "quietly" left California toward the Middle East region, one U.S. official told Ravid. And, within the past few weeks, the Trump administration sent Patriot missile batteries to U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which Ravid noted carried major implications.
“The U.S. will need Saudi Arabia to allow it to use the country's airspace if major combat operations resume,” Ravid wrote. “But the Saudis are unlikely to grant permission if they feel oil facilities won't be protected.”
In late July, President Donald Trump was “seriously considering” launching a “massive attack” on Iranian energy targets, but ultimately decided against it after being pressed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who feared retaliatory strikes on Saudi energy sites.
As suggested by Ravid, the Trump administration’s shipment of Patriot missile batteries “to protect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar” could be a sign that Trump is preparing to finally move forward with those plans. U.S. officials further supported the suggestion, telling Ravid that bin Salman’s pleas were a key reason for Trump opting for an economic pressure campaign against Iran over military strikes.
On the departure of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one U.S. official told Ravid that the U.S. military would be well equipped should hostilities resume.
“This means the Middle East region could potentially have up to three aircraft carrier strike groups. This is much more firepower,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.