AFP, Washington :
The United States announced Thursday the deployment of 200 troops as well as Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia to help the country’s defense in the wake of last month’s attacks on oil installations blamed on Iran.
The Defense Department said the deployment would involve one battery of the surface-to-air missiles, along with four Sentinel radars used for air and missile defense systems.
In addition, two more Patriot batteries and one THAAD ballistic missile interception system are being readied in case a decision is made to also supply them to the Saudis, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.
“This deployment will augment the kingdom’s air and missile defense of critical military and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
It comes “in light of recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“It is important to note these steps are a demonstration of our commitment to regional partners, and the security and stability in the Middle East,” he added.
“Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defense.”
The US has pointed to Iran being behind the combination drone and cruise missile attacks on September 14 which heavily damaged two Saudi oil installations, forcing the key oil supplier to slash output.
Iran has denied responsibility, and President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday challenged the US and others to provide evidence to back up their accusations
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last week that additional security measures will be the first step, but he did not rule out additional moves down the road. Officials have said they are talking with allies in an effort to get more nations to contribute to security in the region.
“Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defense,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Thursday.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week the goal is to defend Saudi Arabia against unconventional aerial attacks using a “layered system of defensive capabilities” to mitigate the risk of swarms of drones or other attacks by Iran. The U.S. has so far not provided any hard evidence that Tehran was responsible for the attacks, but officials insist they have no doubt the cruise missiles and drones were launched from inside Iran.
Iran has denied involvement and warned the U.S. that any attack will spark an “all-out war” with immediate retaliation from Tehran.
A military forensic team has been poring over evidence from cruise missile and drone debris, but the Pentagon said the assessment is not finished. Officials are trying to determine if they can get navigational information from the debris that could provide hard evidence that the strikes came from Iran.
The United States announced Thursday the deployment of 200 troops as well as Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia to help the country’s defense in the wake of last month’s attacks on oil installations blamed on Iran.
The Defense Department said the deployment would involve one battery of the surface-to-air missiles, along with four Sentinel radars used for air and missile defense systems.
In addition, two more Patriot batteries and one THAAD ballistic missile interception system are being readied in case a decision is made to also supply them to the Saudis, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.
“This deployment will augment the kingdom’s air and missile defense of critical military and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
It comes “in light of recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“It is important to note these steps are a demonstration of our commitment to regional partners, and the security and stability in the Middle East,” he added.
“Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defense.”
The US has pointed to Iran being behind the combination drone and cruise missile attacks on September 14 which heavily damaged two Saudi oil installations, forcing the key oil supplier to slash output.
Iran has denied responsibility, and President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday challenged the US and others to provide evidence to back up their accusations
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last week that additional security measures will be the first step, but he did not rule out additional moves down the road. Officials have said they are talking with allies in an effort to get more nations to contribute to security in the region.
“Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defense,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Thursday.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week the goal is to defend Saudi Arabia against unconventional aerial attacks using a “layered system of defensive capabilities” to mitigate the risk of swarms of drones or other attacks by Iran. The U.S. has so far not provided any hard evidence that Tehran was responsible for the attacks, but officials insist they have no doubt the cruise missiles and drones were launched from inside Iran.
Iran has denied involvement and warned the U.S. that any attack will spark an “all-out war” with immediate retaliation from Tehran.
A military forensic team has been poring over evidence from cruise missile and drone debris, but the Pentagon said the assessment is not finished. Officials are trying to determine if they can get navigational information from the debris that could provide hard evidence that the strikes came from Iran.
