In this article United States tensions with Iran are analyzed in the context of a report, denied by the Pentagon, that the United States was considering sending 14,000 troops to the Middle East to deal with the “threat of Iran.” These troops that could be sent to the Middle East would be on top of the already significant US presence in the Gulf. This presence was seen with the US sailing an aircraft carrier (the Abraham Lincoln) through the strait of Hormuz in mid-November. Their presence was again demonstrated when the US announced that it would send two fighter squadrons and additional defence personnel that total about 3,000 new troops back in October.
The message from all of this military action is clear. The US sees great value in the Middle East. But this does not mean everywhere in the Middle East, only the places that the US has a vested interest. Just like we have learned in class before, alliances are marriages of convenience. One of Trump’s big campaign promises was to pull troops out of the Middle East from what he called “endless wars.” Things did not conform to his plan, though. As soon as the Trump had gotten what he wanted in eradicating ISIS strongholds in Syria with the help of Kurdish forces he saw very little value in the area. Due to this, Trump pulled troops out of Syria and Turkey swooped in to claim newly evacuated territory (much to the distress of the now unprotected Kurds).
Despite this pullback, the US is nowhere near done with the entire of the Middle East. With the US importing over $20 billion in oil from Saudi Arabia in 2018 they have a vested interest to protect their investments. When the Suadi Aramco oil facilities were attacked by Iran (though they claimed it was Yemeni rebels) the US was quick to levy sanctions against Iran. Though these are damaging to the Iranian economy it indeed got them attention. Iran wants a voice in the region and is willing to do just about anything to do it.
The aforementioned displays, and potential demonstrations, of military might show that the US is not willing to excuse attempts to disrupt its presence in the region. Despite these actions, I do not think much will happen in regards to this story. Tensions are high, but Iran is in a fragile position when considering its lack of domestic support and the military of powerful nation in the world knocking on their doorstep. Regardless of whether the US sends large numbers of US troops at the moment or not, Iran just wants a voice and is not truly willing to risk full on military conflict.