There is currently a missile defense build up in the Middle East due to fears of Iran’s nuclear program:

Arms spending is an incomplete but very concrete way of tracking a state’s real assessment of threats and priorities. It’s becoming clear that Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have stepped up their defense spending in recent years. Those expenditures cover a range of equipment, but anti-ballistic missile capabilities appear to be rising to the top of the priority list.

In June 2008, over $10 billion worth of December 2007 Patriot missile upgrade requests in the UAE and Kuwait shone a spotlight on the region’s new defense priorities. The latest news involves additional order requests from the UAE for THAAD theater defense missile systems, and additional Patriot PAC-3 related equipment. The requests dovetail with the UAE’s moves to become a command-and-control leader within the [Arabian] Gulf Cooperation Council, and are part of a top to bottom modernization of the UAE’s air defense systems, which appear to be shifting strongly toward American equipment.

In December 2008, a multi-billion dollar Patriot missile contract from the UAE seemed to lock in that shift, and Kuwait is also proceeding with upgrades to its own Patriot systems. Raytheon’s supply chain is also shifting, in response to this increased demand…  [Defense Industry Daily]

Click the link to read the rest about this missile defense build up in the Middle East.

UAE’s $7 billion purchase of the THAAD system is another example of the missile defense build up in the Middle East.