The United States military is deploying Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense systems to the Middle East to protect its forces against Iran.
The decision came after intelligence assessments warned of increasing instability of the Iranian government exacerbated by months of economic collapse and widespread protests.
Deployment of defense systems
According to a report by US officials, the deployments will protect the American military from the threat of retaliation amidst growing political unrest in the region.
Earlier, President Donald Trump was in the process of reviewing intelligence which implied a decline in Iran’s influence and power since the 1979 revolution.
Sources revealed that Washington moved defensive forces such as Patriot and THAAD systems to the region along with the deployment of additional F-15E strike aircraft and long range bombers.
In view of the developing situation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the US President continues to monitor the situation closely.
During a discourse regarding US-Iran tensions, Senator Lindsey Graham called for stronger action, explicitly stating that the goal was to end the regime.
Protests in Iran
Protests erupted in Tehran at the end of 2025 over rising prices and economic decline when shopkeepers in the capital’s Grand Bazaar shuttered their shops and began demonstrations.
It is important to note that the country’s economy suffered a huge blow after a 12-day war with Israel in June 2025 which resulted in large-scale infrastructural damages.
In September 2025, the United Nations (UN) also re-imposed sanctions on Iran over their nuclear programme, significantly compromising the country’s economic standing in global markets.
Buildup against the regime escalated in September 2022 when opposition to the strict laws of the Islamic government drastically intensified after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
So far, officials in Arab countries have expressed uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of primarily relying on airstrikes in destabilizing Tehran’s leadership.
