The relations between the United States and Iran are pretty tense ever since President Donald Trump pulled out of the Obama-era nuclear deal. Recently, Iran took down a U.S. spy drone and seized a couple of oil tankers owned by the allies of the U.S. so now Trump is doing everything to put the situation in his control.
The Saudi Arabia state news agency (SPA) reported on Friday that King Salman approved hosting U.S. forces in the country to boost regional security and stability. This was also confirmed by the U.S. Defense Department as officials from the department stated that they will deploy troops and resources to Saudi Arabia to provide an additional deterrent in the face of emergent, credible threats.
SPA quoted an official from the Saudi Ministry of Defense saying that the decision of hosting U.S. forces aims to increase joint cooperation in defense of regional security and stability and to preserve its peace.
One U.S. officials said that the deployment would include about 500 U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia, and is part of a boost in the number of U.S. troops in the Middle East that the Pentagon announced last month. The official wanted to remain anonymous.
In June, the Pentagon said it would deploy 1,000 troops to the Middle East but did not say where they were going. Trump has said he considers Saudi Arabia an important partner in the Middle East and counterweight to the influence of Iran, according to Reuters.
Be the first to comment