Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the country's elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday to develop more advanced and modern weapons, amid increasingly tense disputes with the U.S. and Gulf Arab states.

"The Guards should have advanced and modern weapons...It should be developed at home. You need to develop and produce your weapons," Khamenei said in a speech at Imam Hossein Military University in Tehran.

"Today the Guards have a powerful presence inside and outside Iran ... America's hostile approach has increased the Guards' greatness," Khamenei said, according to state TV.

Tensions in the Gulf have risen to new highs since May 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

Washington and Riyadh have accused Iran of being behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities on September 14, which temporarily knocked out half Saudi oil output. Tehran denies any role in the strikes which were claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces.

Amid the tensions, Washington plans to deploy about 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, including fighter squadrons, an air expeditionary wing and air defense personnel. 

(With input from Reuters)