The officials said no final decision had been made yet, and it was not clear if the White House would approve sending all or just some of the requested forces. Officials said the troops would be defensive forces, and the discussions include additional Patriot missile batteries, more ships and increased efforts to monitor Ian.

An advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent a message to US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, on Twitter on Wednesday saying that the US’s military deployment in the Middle East is an intentionally provocation.