3,000 Troops Begin Deploying to Saudi Arabia
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Sails Thru Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The U.S. aircraft carrier strike group Abraham Lincoln sailed through the vital Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, U.S. officials told Reuters, amid tensions between Iran and the United States.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf have risen since suspicious attacks on oil tankers this summer, including off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, and a major assault on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Washington has blamed Iran, which has denied being behind the attacks on global energy infrastructure. Tehran has said the attacks, which have also targeted Iranian oil tankers three times, are in line with Washington’s notorious "maximum pressure” campaign in order to choke off Iran’s oil exports.
The commander overseeing U.S. naval forces in the Middle East told Reuters in May that he would send an aircraft carrier through the Strait of Hormuz if needed.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Navy said the Lincoln transited through the Strait into the Persian Gulf. About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the mysterious attacks, the United States has deployed thousands of additional military forces in the Middle East, including bombers and air defense personnel.
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent letters to the House and Senate informing them of its intentions to send around 3,000 ground troops to Saudi Arabia’s oil producing area.
The letters informed Congress that the first group of troops has been dispatched to Saudi Arabia, with the rest of the 3,000 expected to arrive in the next few weeks.
They said the plan was to "protect U.S. interests and enhance force protection in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces”.
The letters also suggested this is going to be a very open-ended deployment, saying that the troops will "stay there for as long as they are able to deter Iranian threats”.
President Donald Trump announced Washington’s plan to send more troops to Saudi Arabia last month, but stressed that Riyadh had agreed to "pay us for everything we’re doing".
Past U.S. deployments to Saudi Arabia were highly controversial on religious grounds, and were cited by Al-Qaeda as a motivation for the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. made a point for security reasons to not have troops in Saudi Arabia for at least awhile after that.
The deployment includes radar and missile systems, an expeditionary wing to support the operation of U.S. fighters from the kingdom, and two fighter squadrons.
The troops will most likely be stationed at the newly reopened Prince Sultan Air Base, more than a decade and a half after American troops left it. The base was first used by U.S. in 1990 but it left in 2003 after the invasion of Iraq.
While Iran has made repeated calls for reconciliation, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman struck a defiant note on Wednesday and accused Tehran of being behind missile and drone strikes on the kingdom and having "expansionist and destructive thinking”.
In an annual address to the appointed Shura Council, he called on the international community to stop Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"Though the kingdom has been subjected to attacks by 286 ballistic missiles and 289 drones, in a way that has not been seen in any other country, that has not affected the kingdom’s development process or the lives of its citizens and residents,” the king told assembled council members, royals and foreign diplomats.
Saudi Arabia has faced retaliatory attacks from Yemen where Saudi Arabia leads a military campaign in a nearly five year war that has killed tens of thousands. On Wednesday, King Salman said the kingdom seeks a political settlement.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf have risen since suspicious attacks on oil tankers this summer, including off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, and a major assault on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Washington has blamed Iran, which has denied being behind the attacks on global energy infrastructure. Tehran has said the attacks, which have also targeted Iranian oil tankers three times, are in line with Washington’s notorious "maximum pressure” campaign in order to choke off Iran’s oil exports.
The commander overseeing U.S. naval forces in the Middle East told Reuters in May that he would send an aircraft carrier through the Strait of Hormuz if needed.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Navy said the Lincoln transited through the Strait into the Persian Gulf. About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the mysterious attacks, the United States has deployed thousands of additional military forces in the Middle East, including bombers and air defense personnel.
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent letters to the House and Senate informing them of its intentions to send around 3,000 ground troops to Saudi Arabia’s oil producing area.
The letters informed Congress that the first group of troops has been dispatched to Saudi Arabia, with the rest of the 3,000 expected to arrive in the next few weeks.
They said the plan was to "protect U.S. interests and enhance force protection in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces”.
The letters also suggested this is going to be a very open-ended deployment, saying that the troops will "stay there for as long as they are able to deter Iranian threats”.
President Donald Trump announced Washington’s plan to send more troops to Saudi Arabia last month, but stressed that Riyadh had agreed to "pay us for everything we’re doing".
Past U.S. deployments to Saudi Arabia were highly controversial on religious grounds, and were cited by Al-Qaeda as a motivation for the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. made a point for security reasons to not have troops in Saudi Arabia for at least awhile after that.
The deployment includes radar and missile systems, an expeditionary wing to support the operation of U.S. fighters from the kingdom, and two fighter squadrons.
The troops will most likely be stationed at the newly reopened Prince Sultan Air Base, more than a decade and a half after American troops left it. The base was first used by U.S. in 1990 but it left in 2003 after the invasion of Iraq.
While Iran has made repeated calls for reconciliation, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman struck a defiant note on Wednesday and accused Tehran of being behind missile and drone strikes on the kingdom and having "expansionist and destructive thinking”.
In an annual address to the appointed Shura Council, he called on the international community to stop Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"Though the kingdom has been subjected to attacks by 286 ballistic missiles and 289 drones, in a way that has not been seen in any other country, that has not affected the kingdom’s development process or the lives of its citizens and residents,” the king told assembled council members, royals and foreign diplomats.
Saudi Arabia has faced retaliatory attacks from Yemen where Saudi Arabia leads a military campaign in a nearly five year war that has killed tens of thousands. On Wednesday, King Salman said the kingdom seeks a political settlement.