Mohamed Minshawi-Washington

The decision by the United States to deploy more of its armed forces in Saudi Arabia increased the confusion of observers towards the positions and decisions of the administration of President Donald Trump and the recent goals of Washington and Riyadh behind this step, while some warn of the consequences of the unintended escalation in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.

"We are sending troops and other things to the Middle East to help Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh has agreed at my request to pay us for everything we do, that means creating millions of jobs," Trump said in remarks on Friday.

The comments came as a surprise to some experts, two days after the US president said going to the Middle East was "the worst decision in our country's history. We are now bringing our soldiers and our great army home carefully and carefully."

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Mercenaries
Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, said the US military does not welcome its appearance as mercenary forces. "I have known and taught many American officers over the years, including many heroes," he said on Twitter. "I don't imagine any of them want their soldiers to go to dangerous places because a foreign government will pay for it."

At a Pentagon press conference to announce the deployment, Defense Secretary Mark Esper confirmed that the total troops sent to the Gulf since May reached 14,000, indicating Washington's seriousness in dealing with renewed risks in the Gulf region.

According to a study by the Congressional Research Service, the number of US troops in the region to 35 thousand troops deployed in all the Gulf Cooperation Council, before the recent developments.

During his appearance on "60 Minutes" a week ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's conclusion that Washington "considers the September 14 attacks on Aramco facilities as a declaration of war."

Al-Jazeera Net learned from US official sources that the two countries have been discussing ways to support Saudi defenses after the attack, and the attacks prompted the parties to accelerate in taking greater steps to secure the Kingdom and its oil facilities.

Sending US troops to Saudi Arabia would send a message to Iran that more attacks on targets inside Saudi Arabia could not be accepted, according to Nicholas Heras, a researcher at the new US Security Center in Washington.

Heras believes that the US move comes in a charged atmosphere, making it coupled with high risks that could lead to the flare-up of the situation in the region.

In contrast, Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Policy and Strategic Policy in Washington, believes that after the Aramco attacks, Iran has set new rules by which it can control the nature of any future military confrontation, in order to avoid direct conventional confrontation with US military power.

The agreement to deploy 3,000 extra troops and military equipment - including Patriot missiles, Thad missile system and F-15s - came a day after Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met US and foreign ministers on "Iran's regional threats."

A former US official told Al Jazeera Net on condition of anonymity about the importance of the deployment, stressing that Washington could not allow a repeat of the Aramco attack, which US military circles believe Iran is behind in one way or another.

He added that the war in Yemen and the attacks on Aramco had clearly shown Washington that Saudi forces were unprepared and unable to defend their borders and interests.

During the Pentagon press conference, Esper said the goal of sending US troops to Saudi Arabia would deter Iranian threats, protect US interests in the region, and strengthen deterrence against Tehran from possible attacks against the kingdom.

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Military reinforcements
The United States began sending military reinforcements to the Prince Sultan base in eastern Saudi Arabia last June, following mounting Gulf tensions between Tehran and Washington over the attack on two oil tankers and the downing of a US drone by Iran.

Washington has deployed hundreds of troops to prepare to receive and operate the battery of the Patriot air defense system, and develop a runway in preparation for the arrival of fighter bombers to Prince Sultan Air Base.

It was the first time US soldiers had been sent to the kingdom since they withdrew in August 2003.

Freedom and safety in the Gulf is also an important US goal given Washington's belief that Tehran was behind the attack on oil tankers last June, and the Pentagon has been working to establish a special force to protect merchant ships in the region since then.

Attacks yesterday on an Iranian oil tanker across the Red Sea have exacerbated the region's tensions, and Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sander tweeted, warning of the dangers of recklessness in the Gulf. Planes and missiles to his friend the dictator for further escalation against Iran. "