Saudi king approves hosting U.S. troops to enhance regional security
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Saudi Arabia's King Salman approved hosting U.S. forces in the country to boost regional security and stability, the state news agency (SPA) reported on Friday.

The U.S. Defense 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."

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"Based on mutual cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, and their desire to enhance everything that could preserve the security of the region and its stability... King Salman gave his approval to host American forces," a ministry spokesperson was quoted by Saudi state news agency SPA as saying. 

Saudi Arabia has not hosted U.S. forces since 2003 when they withdrew following the end of the war with Iraq. The gesture comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Gulf that have impacted global oil markets. On Friday, Iran said it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, but denied Washington's assertion that the U.S. Navy had downed an Iranian drone nearby earlier this week.

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Gulf, July 14, 2019. /VCG Photo

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Gulf, July 14, 2019. /VCG Photo

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 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.

In June, the Pentagon said it would deploy 1,000 troops to the Middle East but did not say where they were going. Relations between Washington and Tehran worsened last year when President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.

Trump has said he considers Saudi Arabia an important partner in the Middle East and counterweight to the influence of Iran.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)

(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud (R), on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. /VCG Photo)