The plan is part of a broader US campaign to get NATO allies to take on more responsibility for security in the Gulf, including pleas for nations to send ships, aircraft, and air defense systems to the region.

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The US has already agreed to send three Patriot missile batteries, dozens of fighter jets and other aircraft to Saudi Arabia. And as Esper got a look at one of the Patriot batteries Tuesday at Prince Sultan Air Base, he said Saudi Arabia will "help underwrite" some US costs for the additional aid, which includes about 3,000 American troops.

Standing in front of the battery in the scorching Saudi desert, Esper told reporters traveling with him that he's already had some conversations with counterparts from France, Britain, and Germany. "One of my objectives going into Brussels later this week is to build on those conversations," he said.

The US has dispatched about 14,000 more troops into the region since May, beefing up efforts to defend the kingdom in the wake of suspected Iranian missile and drone attacks on oil facilities last month. That's despite President Donald Trump's stated goal of pulling troops out of the Middle East and halting American participation in "endless wars."

The Sept. 14 attack on the Saudi oil facilities, as well as earlier ones on a pipeline in the kingdom and ships in the Gulf, stem from Trump's decision to unilaterally withdraw America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers and impose crushing sanctions targeting Iran's crude oil sales and shipments.

Allies, however, have been slow to respond to requests to participate in a maritime security effort that is aimed at countering Iranian attacks on tankers and other ships in the region.

Saudi leaders hosted a one-day meeting of defense chiefs from the Gulf region and across Europe this week and used that platform to seek help securing their country.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the top US military commander for the Middle East was at the meeting. Just after Esper landed Monday in Riyadh, McKenzie boarded the plane, and the two men talked for roughly a half-hour. Officials did not divulge the content of the meeting, but at least part of it was expected to be a discussion of how to meet Saudi's security requests.

McKenzie likely also gave Esper an update on the US troop withdrawal from Syria and ongoing plans to keep some forces in Iraq, at least temporarily.

Esper's visit to the Saudi airbase on Tuesday was his first chance to see the US troops and missile defense systems deployed there. He said the Saudi agreement to help pay some costs of the operation is not unusual. He said he did not know the amount they would contribute.

Asked if taking money for the deployment makes the US a mercenary force, Esper said no because the US is not doing it for the money, but to deter Iran.

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In a discussion with defense officials from Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, Defense Minister Amir Hatami reportedly added that the "military coalition that America is seeking to form with the excuse of securing maritime transport will only increase insecurity in the region."

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The warning comes as Washington ramps up pressure on the Islamic republic following a string of incidents that have stirred tensions in the Gulf, including Tehran's capture of a UK oil tanker last month and the downing of a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the summer.

On Wednesday, the US Transportation Department's Maritime Administration issued a specific warning about the threat Iran poses in the Gulf as the Islamic republic is allegedly interfering with GPS signals in the Strait of Hormuz. The US officials cited reports of "unknown entities falsely claiming to be US or coalition warships," trying to seize the vessels by having them directed into Iranian waters.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz reportedly told officials that Jerusalem was assisting a US-led mission designed to protect ships traveling along the narrow sea passage.

Katz told a closed-door session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the country was currently participating in the mission by providing intelligence, as well as taking part in other unspecified operations in the Gulf.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged the US to reopen dialogue with the Tehran, saying that "peace with Iran is the mother of all peace" and "war with Iran is the mother of all wars" as he defended the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS. 

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