Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied a New York Times report that US officials were discussing a military plan to send up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter any attack or nuclear weapons acceleration by Iran.
"I think it's fake news, OK? Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. And if we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Times reported that Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan presented an updated plan last week in a meeting of top national security aides that envisions sending as many as 120,000 American troops to the region if Iran attacks US forces or accelerates work on its nuclear weapons.
In this Sunday, May 12, 2019 photo released by the U.S. Air Force, an F-15C Eagle receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 28th Expeditionary Aerial Refueling Squadron, at an undisclosed location. The White House ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf region on May 4. (Senior Airman Keifer Bowes, U.S. Air Force via AP)
The updated plan does not call for a land invasion of Iran, which would require far more troops, the Times reported, citing unidentified administration officials.
The plan reflects revisions ordered by Iran hawks including national security adviser John Bolton, the newspaper said.
