The commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, inspected 3 sites in the western region of Saudi Arabia, which are candidates for use by US forces.
In his first visit to the Middle East since the inauguration of President Joe Biden, McKinsey visited two ports in Yanbu on the Red Sea, and two runways in Tabuk and Taif.
McKinsey told reporters accompanying him that the Gulf waters would be a conflict zone in light of any armed conflict with Iran, and therefore other distant places should be looked at to bring forces into the theater of operations.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted and destroyed a missile in the airspace of Riyadh and said that it was launched by the Houthi group from Yemen, which the Houthis denied.
The State Department strongly condemned the missile attack, and said in a statement that it was gathering more information.
For its part, Iran reiterated its readiness for dialogue with the Gulf states and to reach a common understanding.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Tehran's hand is still extended for constructive dialogue with neighboring countries, especially the Gulf states.
He added that his country always stresses that the region needs dialogue, cooperation and strengthening confidence among its countries.