Washington: With Iranian military threats in mind, the United States is sending American forces, including fighter aircraft, air defence missiles and likely more than 500 troops, to a Saudi air base that became a hub of American air power in the Middle East in the 1990s but was abandoned by Washington after it toppled Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced the basing agreement without mentioning details.
On Saturday, the Pentagon said the move would provide “an additional deterrent” in the face of “emergent, credible threats.”
Senior American defence officials said some American troops and Patriot air defence missile systems have already arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base, south of Riyadh.
It comes after Friday’s seizure by Iran of a British tanker in the Persian Gulf. Tensions with Iran have spiked since May when the Trump administration said it had detected increased Iranian preparations for possible attacks on US forces and interests in the Gulf area.
The US Central Command said the deployments to Saudi Arabia had been approved by the Pentagon.
“This movement of forces provides an additional deterrent, and ensures our ability to defend our forces and interests in the region from emergent, credible threats,” Central Command said in a statement.
Read the article by Robert Burns in The Sydney Morning Herald.