US building ‘air and maritime defense’ system in Mideast to deter ‘imminent threats’

MANAMA, Bahrain — The United States is reinforcing defense infrastructure in the Middle East, at a time of tension with Iran, a US official said Sunday, adding that Tehran had likely abandoned a plan to attack Saudi Arabia due to security cooperation.

Brett McGurk, the National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told the annual Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain that his country is focused on deterring “imminent threats” in the strategic energy-rich and conflict-ridden region.

“The United States is now actively building and enabling an integrated air and maritime defense architecture in this region,” said McGurk, the top White House official on the Middle East.

“Something long talked about is now being done, through innovative partnerships and new technologies,” he added without elaborating.

On Saturday, the US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla announced during the same conference that a US-led task force will deploy more than 100 unmanned vessels in the Gulf region’s strategic waters by next year to stave off maritime threats. READ MORE