US President notifies Congress of deploying troops to Saudi Arabia | Photo Credit: IANS

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) formally informed the Congress of deploying 3,000 soldiers in Saudi Arabia. The move comes amid tensions in the Middle East, especially after the attack on Saudi oil facilities which the US blamed on Iran.

"Armed Forces have been deployed to the Middle East to protect United States interests and enhance force protection in the region against hostile action by Iran and its proxy forces," Al Arabiya quoted Trump as saying in the letter addressed to Congress.

"Iran has continued to threaten the security of the region, including by attacking oil and natural gas facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on September 14, 2019," Trump said adding that the deployment will "deter further Iranian provocative behaviour, and bolster regional defensive capabilities".

The US President also mentioned that first of these additional forces have already arrived in the Kingdom while remaining will arrive in coming weeks, and "with these additional forces, the total number of United States Armed Forces personnel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be approximately 3,000."