By Jon Gambrell , MichelleI L. Price and Julie Watso
Dubai, March 21
US President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Middle East even as the United States is sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional Marines to the region.
Trump’s post on Friday on social media followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational and tourist sites worldwide and another day of the airstrikes, drone and missile attacks that have engulfed the region.
The mixed messages from the United States came after another climb in oil prices plunged the US stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement that it was lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.
The 3-week-old war has shown no signs of abating, with Israel saying Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations.
The attacks came a day after Israeli airstrikes hit in Tehran as Iranians celebrated the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that has been muted by the war.
