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20/07/2019

Saudi Arabia To Allow US Troops To On Its Soil To Boost Regional Security




Saudi Arabia To Allow US Troops To On Its Soil To Boost Regional Security
The Saudi Arabia will allow security forces from the United States to set up base in the country in order to increase the security and stability of the Middle Eastern country. The kingdom’s state news agency (SPA) reported on Friday that the approval was given by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

United States’ troops and resources would be deployed in Saudi Arabia to “provide an additional deterrent” in the face of “emergent, credible threats”, said the U.S. Defense Department in s statement while confirmed confirming the decision made between the two countries. 

This move between the two countries is being seen as being important because of the recent tensions between the United States and Iran in the Gulf region which has negatively affected the supply of crude oil to the global markets.

A British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was seized by Iran, Tehran confirmed on Friday. Tehran however refuted claims made by Washington about American Naval forces bringing down an Iranian drone in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.

The Saudi Arabia state news agency SPA quoted a Ministry of Defence official as saying that the approval given to allow American forces on Saudi soil had been taken with the aim “to increase joint cooperation in defense of regional security and stability and to preserve its peace”. No further details or explanations about the decision were given.

According to reports in the American media that quoted an un-named US official as saying that the forces from the US that would be deployed according to this agreement would include around 500 American military personnel whose posting have already been decided to be in Saudi Arabia and they are posted there as a part of the efforts of the US to increase its troop presence in the Middle East. This strategy was announced last month by the Pentagon.

While announcing in June that about 1000 American troops would be deployed in the Middle East, Pentagon did not disclose anything about the places where these troops were to be posted.
Tensions in the relationship between the US and Iran started to worsen last year after US president Donald Trump decided opt pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that was struck between Tehran and some of the major world powers.

The 2015 agreement was arrived after years of negotiations between Iran and a number of world powers including the US, UK, Russia, France and Germany. Under the agreement, sanctions that had been placed on Iran by world powers were to be loosened in exchange for Tehran toning down and curbing its nuclear program according to the demands of the Western powers.

However since Trump pulled the US out of the deal, the US has re-imposed  the earlier sanctions on Iran and later tightened them aimed at hurting the economy of Iran.

Saudi Arabia has been declared by Trump to be an important ally in the Middle East and a much needed counter weight to the influence that Iran has on the region.  

(Source:www.cnbc.com)
 

Christopher J. Mitchell

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