End Times Watch 104
Pentagon Expands Patriot Missile Program Across Middle East

End Times Watch 104 - US boosts missile presence in Gulf as warning to Iran - James Sturcke - www.guardian.co.uk  

End times watch.  Pentagon expands Patriot missile program across Middle East after Tehran repeatedly spurns hand of diplomacy.

The Obama administration is intensifying pressure on Iran by increasing its missile defenses in the Middle East to defend against potential missile strikes in the region by Tehran, it emerged today.

The US military has boosted the capability of land-based Patriot defensive missiles in several Arab nations in the Gulf, and one official told the Associated Press the navy was also increasing the presence of ships capable of knocking out hostile missiles in flight.

The move – reported in several US newspapers this morning – appears to be a deliberate attempt by the White House to ratchet up pressure on Iran ahead of attempts to increase sanctions against the country.

The US is reappraising its Iran policy after months of unsuccessful diplomatic moves, and is attempting to win broad international consensus for sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, believed to control a covert nuclear arms program, the New York Times reported.

Last week, in his state of the union speech, Barack Obama spoke of "consequences" if Iran failed to comply with UN demands to stop nuclear fuel production.    

The move is also an attempt to dissuade Israel from unilateral strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the New York Times said.

A military official said the deployments in the Gulf should be seen as prudent defensive measures designed to deter Iran from taking aggressive action in the region.  End times watch. 

According to AP, officials held secret talks yesterday on aspects of the defensive strategy. Details have not been announced, in part because of diplomatic sensitivities in Gulf countries that worry about Iranian military capabilities but are cautious about acknowledging US protection.

The White House will send a review of ballistic missile strategy to Congress tomorrow. Attention to defense of the Gulf region and co-operation with Russia are major elements of the study, according to documents obtained by AP.

On a trip to London last week, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, told reporters that the failure of Iran to take up offers for fresh talks over its nuclear program meant the US would press for additional sanctions against the Iranian government.

General David Petraeus, the US central command chief responsible for US military operations across the Middle East, has mentioned the upgrade of Patriot missile systems in several recent public speeches. Patriot batteries were originally deployed in the region to shoot down aircraft but can now hit missiles in flight. 

In remarks at Georgetown Law School 10 days ago, Petraeus said the US had eight Patriot missile batteries stationed in the Gulf region, with two in each of four countries. He did not name the countries, but Kuwait has long been known to have Patriots on its territory.  End times watch. 

A military official said yesterday that the three other countries are the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, which also hosts the US navy's 5th Fleet headquarters, and Qatar, home to a modernized US air operations centre that has played a key role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

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