The Pentagon requires the approval of President Trump if it is to deploy the soldiers AFP/GETTY IMAGESThe Pentagon is proposing to send up to 10,000 troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, despite assurances from President Trump that he does not want war with Tehran. Defence department officials are scheduled to brief Mr Trump’s top security aides as soon as today about the deployment plans, US media reported last night. The US military deployed a carrier strike group, bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East this month in response to what Washington said were troubling indications of possible preparations for an attack by Iran. The briefing comes two days after Patrick Shanahan, the acting defence secretary, assured Congress that the presence of US forces in the Gulf had “put on hold the potential for attacks on Americans”…

Source: The Times May 22, 2019 23:42 UTC