Pentagon denies US mulling 14,000 more troops for Middle East

The Pentagon has refused a report that the United States was weighing sending up to 14,000 more troops to the Middle East in the face of a noticed threat from Iran.

The possible deployment would involve "dozens" more ships and double the number of troops added to the US forces in the region since the beginning of this year, citing unnamed US officials.

The US President Donald Trump could decide on the troop hike. But the Pentagon disputed the accuracy of the report. "To be clear, the reporting is wrong.

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The US is not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East.

Washington has previously ratcheted up its army presence in the Gulf and increased economic sanctions on Tehran, elevating tensions across the region.

The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in November sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in a show of force aimed at reassuring associates bothered about the Iran threat.