US withdraws Patriot missile defence systems from Saudi Arabia

The US is removing Patriot anti-missile systems from Saudi Arabia, marking the end of a military buildup to counter Iran.

A Patriot missile battery at Prince Sultan air base at al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, in February. Picture: AFP

The US is removing Patriot anti-missile systems from Saudi Arabia and is considering reductions to other military capabilities — marking the end, for now, of a large-scale military build-up to counter Iran.

The US is removing two ­Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia and two others from the Middle East, along with dozens of military personnel who were deployed following a series of attacks on Saudi oil ­facilities last year, according to several US officials. The attacks were part of hostilities the US has blamed on Iran that took place over several months.

Two US jet fighter squadrons also have left the region, and a reduction in the US Navy presence in the Persian Gulf was also being considered, the officials said. The redeployment of the Patriot systems is under way.

The Pentagon said it routin­ely moved troops in and out of the region and had the capability to augment forces on short ­notice. The Pentagon is engaged in a long-term effort to strengthen air defences in the region, ­according to spokesman Sean Robertson. “The US-Saudi ­defence partnership is longstanding and encompasses a range of co-operation to include counter-terrorism, maritime ­security, and air defence,” Commander Robertson said.

The reductions are based on assessments by some officials that Tehran no longer poses an immediate threat to US interests, but are likely to stir debate within the administration about the ­appropriate approach to Iran.

Some US officials believe that the deployments to deter Iran — combined with the January strike that killed Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani — have put Tehran on its heels. Meanwhile, Iran also is battling its coronavirus outbreak.

At the same time, Pentagon planners believe that limited US military resources — including warships and Patriot missile systems — should be devoted to other priorities, including efforts to counter expanding Chinese military influence in Asia.

Some US officials have remained concerned that a force reduction could lead to new challenges from Iran, especially while the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign against Tehran remains in force. Iranian gunboats last month harassed US warships for the first time since 2018, in a sign Tehran is still intent on disruption, officials said.

“The underlying pressure on Iran and the propensity to act out militarily as their only outlet of trying to relieve that pressure still exists with the maximum pressure campaign,” one official said, referring to the administration’s sanctions against Iran.

“As long as the maximum pressure campaign continues, there’s a feeling that we need a strong deterrent to prevent Iran from acting out in the region.”

Defence Secretary Mark Esper has pushed to realign military resources according to a strategy that defines the US principal global competitors as Russia and China, less the Middle East. But scaling back US involvement in the Middle East has proven difficult as hostilities have continued.

The latest military redeployment came after a feud over oil prices between Saudi Arabia, Russia and the US, and plummeting demand for oil amid the coronavirus crisis.

An official said four Patriot systems were being withdrawn from Saudi Arabia. Officials later clarified that two were being removed. The systems being removed had been deployed to the region last year as a temporary measure to beef-up security. But officials planned to bring some units back to the US for maintenance.

The two being removed from Saudi Arabia were guarding oilfields. Other Patriot missile systems remain at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, which houses US personnel and equipment. Other Patriot batteries also will remain in Iraq to protect US troops following a series of rocket attacks there.

The military build-up got under way a year ago this week after signs Iran was positioning missiles around the region.

The Wall Street Journal