JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday agreed to host the US troops in the country to increase joint cooperation in defence of regional security and stability in the region.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud has approved hosting US Armed Forces in the Kingdom to increase joint cooperation in defence of regional security and stability and to preserve its peace, reported Saudi Press Agency, citing an official in the Saudi Ministry of Defense.
This comes amid escalating tensions in the Gulf regions as the United States and Iran reached the brink of war.
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Early this week, US defence official told CNN that Trump administration was prepared to send its military personnel to Saudi Arabia.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the US plans a "symbolic move" that will not bring benefits to any country in the region in terms of security.
"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," Sputnik had quoted Zarif as saying.