US Plans To Send Additional Troops To Saudi Arabia Will Not Benefit Anyone - Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called US plans to send additional troops to Saudi Arabia a "symbolic move" that will not bring benefits to any country in the region in terms of security

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called US plans to send additional troops to Saudi Arabia a "symbolic move" that will not bring benefits to any country in the region in terms of security.

On Thursday, US media reported citing defense officials that the Pentagon was preparing to send hundreds of additional servicemen to Saudi Arabia in a bid to shore up the kingdom's defenses amid rising tensions with Iran. At least 500 soldiers will be deployed to the Prince Sultan Air Base east of Riyadh.

"It's a symbolic move that doesn't help security for anybody. Certainly, security in our region cannot be purchased from outside. We believe that countries in the region should provide their own security through cooperation and through regional integration, and not through trying to purchase it from outside. It's not usually a tenable avenue to getting security," Zarif told The National Interest.

The situation in the Persian Gulf and adjacent areas has noticeably worsened over the past few months.

In May several oil tankers were targeted by sabotage attacks off the United Arab Emirates' coast, and the United States blamed Iran for the incidents. In June, two more oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf. The United States once again accused Iran of staging the attack and Tehran denied the accusations.

Following this, the Iranian military reported it had downed a US drone after it had violated Iranian airspace. At the same time, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the US Navy drone had been shot down over the Strait of Hormuz in international airspace.

In addition, in mid-July, media reported an attempt by the Iranian military to detain a UK vessel in the Strait of Hormuz after detention of an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar. Iran refuted these allegations.