Key facts
- The U.S. deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar last month.
- One battery was sent to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil-producing facility.
- Another battery was sent to Qatar to protect a natural gas site.
- Iranian strikes hit Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG liquefaction site in early March.
- Saudi Arabia's East-West onshore pipeline was damaged by drone hits in September.
The U.S. deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar last month to bolster defenses against potential Iranian strikes amid escalating regional tensions, U.S. officials and a Persian Gulf regional source told Axios on Friday. One battery was sent to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil-producing facility, and another to Qatar to safeguard a natural gas site.
Escalation in the region could be triggered if U.S. President Donald Trump decides to resume strikes on Iran. Trump issued a warning on Thursday stating that Iran would either sign a fair deal or cease to exist.
Energy infrastructure in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar has been targeted by Iran during the ongoing conflict. In early March, strikes at Ras Laffan, Qatar, hit parts of the world's largest LNG liquefaction site, forcing QatarEnergy to halt most operations, which were already constrained by shipping limitations through the Strait of Hormuz.
In Saudi Arabia, the East-West onshore pipeline, crucial for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, was shut down for two weeks in September following drone attacks that damaged pumping stations. Saudi Arabia has since restarted partial operations on the pipeline, which has a capacity of about 4 million barrels per day, with full resumption expected in a few weeks. Crude oil loadings at the Yanbu port on the Red Sea have also resumed. The pipeline attack had raised concerns about Middle East crude oil supply amid soaring global fuel prices.