Oil dispute: US abruptly lowers security in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, Ta. May 9, 2020, Saturday

Amid rising tensions with Saudi Arabia, the United States has decided to withdraw its anti-missile system and some fighter aircraft from Saudi Arabia. The United States has deployed two Patriot anti-missile batteries in Saudi Arabia to protect Saudi Arabia from Iran. However, the decision was followed by talks between Saudi King Salman and US President Donald Trump on Friday.

A White House spokesman said the two leaders agreed on the importance of stability in the global energy market. However, he did not elaborate on the Patriot anti-missile issue. According to a report, the Saudis increased their oil production after the Corona virus caused oil consumption to decline. This has increased the pressure on US oil companies. Last month, Trump also tried to persuade Saudi Arabia to reduce oil production.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday that the anti-missile system was being removed from Saudi Arabia. He also clarified that this does not indicate that the US is reducing its aid to Saudi Arabia. According to Pompeo, the decision was not made to increase pressure on the oil issue, but it does not mean that Iran is no longer a threat. In fact the anti-missile system was only deployed for a short time.

A U.S. official said 300 troops deployed along with the anti-missile system were also being withdrawn. The exercise comes as the United States decided to increase its military presence in Saudi Arabia a few months ago.