Washington could deploy dozens more warships and 14,000 troops to the Middle East to deal with Tehran, the Pentagon official said.

"The Trump administration is considering plans to significantly increase its military presence in the Middle East, including the addition of dozens of warships, more military equipment and 14,000 soldiers to counter the threat from Iran. will double the force deployed to the area since May, "unnamed Pentagon officials revealed yesterday.

US officials said President Donald Trump could make a decision to deploy more troops in December. The US Department of Defense declined to comment on the information.

Tensions between Iran and the US have been escalating since the middle of last year, when President Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from a nuclear deal signed in 2015 and re-imposed sanctions to put maximum pressure on Tehran. The US increased its military presence in the Middle East in May when it dispatched the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to the region, after intelligence reports claimed that Iran was moving missiles on battleships in the Gulf.

The Iranian military on June 20 shot down a US $ 200 million unmanned aircraft over accusations of violating airspace, while Washington insisted it was operating only in international airspace. Iranian warships and helicopters also repeatedly approach US warships operating in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States accused Iran of being behind an attack on Saudi Arabia's largest refinery on September 14, but Tehran denied it. Washington then deployed several Patriot radar and air defense missiles, one expeditionary squadron and two fighters to support defense capabilities in Saudi Arabia.

Iran recently abruptly softened its tone to the United States when President Hassan Rouhani said it was ready to negotiate a nuclear deal if Washington abandoned "illegal" sanctions.