The United States installs Patriot batteries in Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Riyadh - Ofoq News - The US Army sent two batteries of Patriot missiles to the Gulf region in recent weeks, with the aim of protecting the oil and gas infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This is what Axios reported, citing two American sources and another regional source.

The Axios news website, citing American and regional sources, stated that this step aims to protect the vital oil and natural gas infrastructure in these two countries.

According to the report, this deployment aims to reassure Washington's allies that the United States will protect their critical energy infrastructure if President Donald Trump decides to resume military action against Iran.

These concerns were raised in August, when the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar called on Trump to avoid a large-scale attack on Iran, fearing that it would lead to Iranian retaliation targeting their oil and gas facilities.

US officials said those warnings played a pivotal role in Trump's decision to abandon a large-scale military strike and instead focus on sanctions and economic pressure. In addition, Saudi Arabia may have difficulties using its airspace for US military operations if it does not feel that the country's energy infrastructure is adequately protected.

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) declined to comment on the report.

This announcement comes amid repeated warnings from Trump that he is about to make a decision on the Iranian file.

Earlier tonight, during an event in Texas, Trump said Iran was "ready to surrender," and repeated his assessment that the war with Tehran could end shortly after the midterm elections in November.