Trump administration considers 14,000 more troops for Middle East – WSJ

Providing additional information on the fresh tussle between the United States (US) and Iran, after the US navy spotted missile parts linked to Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) came out with the story that says the Trump administration is looking to deploy around 14,000 more troops in the Middle East. The news relies on anonymous US officials.

Key quotes

The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East, including dozens of more ships, other military hardware and as many as 14,000 additional troops to counter Iran.

The deployment could double the number of U.S. military personnel who have been sent to the region since the start of a troop build-up in May. President Trump is expected to make a decision on the new deployments as soon as this month.

FX implications

Such news has twin impacts, first on the market’s risk sentiment and the other one on the crude prices due to the Middle East inclusion. Though no major reaction to the piece could be witnessed by the press time of early Thursday morning in Asia as the USD/JPY stays little changed around 108.90 and WTI seesaws near $58.45/50.