JAKARTA - The United States is considering reducing its military presence in Saudi Arabia and concentrating its forces in more cooperative countries during the military campaign against Iran, such as Israel and Jordan.
The Wall Street Journal report, citing several sources, said that during the first term of US President Donald Trump, the US had increased its military presence at Prince Sultan Air Base to deter Iran.
However, disagreements about Operation Epic Fury and the Freedom Project between the US and Saudi Arabia also occurred, triggering discussions about reducing US troops in the kingdom.
Worried about an escalation of tensions, Saudi Arabia then blocked US military access to its bases and airspace immediately after Project Freedom was launched.
As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Wednesday, July 1, in response, the US also threatened to delay the delivery of interceptor systems used by Saudi Arabia to defend itself against Iranian missiles and drones. This forced Riyadh to lift the restrictions.
However, the US did not renew the Freedom Project, but instead switched to secretly coordinating with the ships to help them leave the Strait of Hormuz at night by turning off the ship's transmitters, the report said.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain, but not Saudi Arabia.
For Riyadh, Rubio's attitude was considered an openly hostile statement. The Trump administration also rejected the Saudi Arabian interpretation, saying Rubio had productive talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Bahrain and relations between Washington and Riyadh remained strong.
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