U.S. deploys land and sea-based missile shield in the Gulf to deter attack from Iran

 

Deterrent: The U.S. has installed Patriots in four countries in the Gulf which are capable of shooting down incoming missiles

The U.S. has retaliated to what it sees as Iran's growing missile threat by deploying a land and sea-based missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf, officials said.

Barack Obama is dispatching land-based Patriot defensive missile installations in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, as well as keeping two U.S. Navy ships with missile defence systems in and around the Mediterranean.

Officials said the move is aimed at deterring an attack by Iran, but it is likely to dramatically increase tensions between the U.S. and Iran after negotiations failed to persuade Tehran to open its nuclear installations to international controls.
A senior administration official told the New York Times: 'Our first goal is to deter the Iranians. A second is to reassure the Arab states, so they don't feel they have to go nuclear themselves.

'But there is certainly an element of calming the Israelis as well.'

General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command responsible for military operations across the Middle East, said this month that eight Patriot missile batteries had been stationed in four Gulf countries, which he did not identify.

The build-up began under the Bush administration, but has expanded under President Obama, who is pushing for a new round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme.

Officials said the expansion was meant to increase the protection for U.S. forces and key allies in the Gulf.

Washington is also concerned with the threat of action from Israel, which has said it will not let Tehran come close to building a nuclear missile if diplomacy fails.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last month the Pentagon must have military options ready to counter Iran should Mr Obama call for them.

A spokesman for Mr Mullen said: 'The chairman has made it clear many times that he remains concerned about the ballistic missile threat posed by Iran, but it would be inappropriate to discuss any mitigation or defence measures we might have in place to deter/defeat that threat.'

President Obama announced a revised missile defence system last year, which included the deployment of Aegis ships equipped with missile interceptors to help defend Europe and U.S. forces against Iranian rockets.

The Pentagon said it planned to keep three ships at any given time in and around the Mediterranean and the North Sea to protect areas of interest, with the possibility of sending additional ships to the region as needed.

The Obama administration said the decision to change plans was based mainly on technological developments and a shift in intelligence assessments to meet short and medium-range missile threats posed by Iran.

Pentagon officials said deploying ships with SM-3 interceptors, made by Raytheon Co, would provide the flexibility to move U.S. missile defense capabilities as may be needed.

Ships with Aegis interceptor systems are capable of blowing up ballistic missiles above the atmosphere. The system can track over 100 targets, military officials said.

U.S. arms sales to Gulf allies have risen sharply in recent years, underscoring concerns about Iran.

In the past two years, Saudi Arabia has bought $17bn (£11billion) worth of weapons from the U.S., including Patriot batteries.