Strategic ties boost

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved hosting US forces in the Kingdom to boost regional security and stability, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The ministry tweeted that Saudi Arabia and the United States are “strengthening their longstanding partnership in the face of regional threats.”

In Washington, the US Defence Department confirmed the move in a statement, saying it would deploy troops and resources to Saudi Arabia to “provide an additional deterrent” in the face of “emergent, credible threats.” The gesture comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Gulf that have impacted global oil markets.

With Iranian military threats in mind, the US is sending American forces, including fighter aircraft, air defense missiles and likely more than 500 troops, to a Saudi airbase that became a hub of American airpower in the Middle East in the 1990s. Senior American defense officials said some US troops and Patriot air defense missile systems have already arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base, south of Riyadh, where the troops have been preparing for the arrival of aircraft later this summer as well as additional troops. The agreement has been in the works for many weeks and is not a response specifically to Friday’s seizure by Iran of a British tanker in the Arabian 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. In a written statement Friday evening, US Central Command said the deployments to Saudi Arabia had been approved by the Pentagon.