WASHINGTON (AA): Saudi Arabia has paid the U.S. roughly $500 million incompensation for the costs associated with stationing American forces inthe Kingdom, according to a report.
The payment was made in December, an anonymous U.S. official told CNN.
If true, it stands in stark contract to U.S. President Donald Trump’s claimwhile speaking to Fox News last week that Riyadh “already deposited $1billion in the bank” in return for the troop deployment.
The Pentagon has yet to officially confirm the dollar amount of SaudiArabia’s payment, or if one has indeed been made. But CNN reported thatbilateral negotiations are continuing between the allies to determine whatthe Kingdom will be paying for. Those talks include the establishment of apayment mechanism to cover deployment costs.
The U.S. has sent thousands more troops and missile defense systems toSaudi Arabia as tensions have escalated in region with Iran, including anattack Washington blames on Iran which took offline major portions ofRiyadh’s oil exports.
Saudi Arabia has only partially repaid the costs associated with the U.S.’saerial refueling operations it conducted to supported the Saudi-ledcampaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The U.S. mission was halted in November 2018 amid rights concerns, and theU.S. said the following month that Saudi Arabia and the United ArabEmirates owed over $330 million in associated costs.