Washington
The Pentagon announced on Friday it was bolstering US forces in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh asked for reinforcements following the September 14 drone-and-missile attack on Saudi oil plants which Washington blames on Iran.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that two fighter squadrons and additional missile defence batteries were being sent to Saudi Arabia, for a total of about 3,000 new troops from September this year.
The move comes as tensions jumped Friday after Tehran said that suspected missiles had struck an Iranian tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, setting it on fire.
Tehran did not blame arch-rival Riyadh for the attack, and US defence officials said they were still looking into it and had no immediate explanation.
Esper said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Friday to discuss adding US firepower to the oil giant’s defences against Iranian attacks.
“It is clear that the Iranians are responsible for the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities,” he claimed. “Despite Iran’s attempts to deny their involvement, the evidence recovered so far proves that Tehran is responsible for these attacks.”
Esper said that since May the United States has increased its 70,000-strong presence in the Middle East by 14,000 personnel, most of those deployed to the Gulf region in response to Iran’s actions. “The US military has on alert additional army, navy, marine and air force units to quickly provide increased capability in the region if necessary,” he said on Friday.
He also urged US allies in Europe to follow America’s lead with their own defensive assets “for regional stability.” The deployments authorised on Friday include two additional fighter squadrons, and supporting personnel, along with additional Patriot and THAAD missile defence batteries.— AFP
