The move comes amid speculation over a potential military action against Iran's nuclear program and escalating bombardments of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

American Patriot missile defense batteries will be moved from South Korea to the Middle East, according to reports in Asian media on Friday, amid speculation over a potential military action against Iran's nuclear program and escalating bombardments of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. 

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program, and the United States has moved additional warplanes into the region. 

Washington and Seoul have reportedly recently agreed on the "monthslong" partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, in what is understood to be the first known case involving the relocation of United States Forces Korea (USFK) assets to the Middle East.

Iran in recent years has largely dropped the pretense of enriching uranium for a civilian atomic energy program, as it's reportedly teetering on the nuclear precipice. Israel believes that a nuclear Iran represents a grave existential threat, consistent with the exterminationist antisemitism of the Islamic Republic's anti-Israel rhetoric. 

After the election of Trump, a known Iran hawk, the likelihood of an U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has increased precipitously.