美国已经开始在沙特阿拉伯的苏丹王子空军基地建立军事后备力量，16年前美国人就在那里撤离了。
此举始于上月，但将在未来几周加快步伐，因为今年夏天早些时候，伊朗加大了对霍尔木兹海峡油轮的袭击，并击落了一架美国无人驾驶飞机。
美国的集结包括部署据美国国家广播公司新闻报道，战斗机和远程爱国者导弹。尽管飞机要到8月份才能抵达，但导弹已经抵达基地，预计将在未来两周内投入使用。
沙特皇家空军控制着位于沙特首都利雅得南部的设施，数百名美国军人已经在现场为任何全面行动做准备。一旦全部空军中队到达，将有500多名军人占据基地。
官员们表示，任务主要是防御——用于导弹防御的爱国者导弹和防御地面部队的战斗机——但这些战斗机也可以部署用于进攻任务。
2019年6月12日，华盛顿DC，一架F-35战斗机飞越白宫。埃里克·巴拉达特/法新社/盖蒂图片社照片
五角大楼发言人厄尔·布朗中校周四没有详细说明空军基地本身，但表示这是与该地区盟国的共同努力。
厄尔·布朗中校说:“美国中央司令部继续努力管理我们在该地区的兵力态势，并将继续与我们在该地区的伙伴和盟友合作。”。
1991年海湾战争期间，美国在苏丹AFB王子驻扎军队，并留在那里维持伊拉克上空的“禁飞区”。1996年，在霍巴塔爆炸事件导致19名军人死亡，数百人受伤后，美国回到了基地，并一直呆在那里，直到2003年伊拉克自由行动开始。
美国在基地移交给沙特阿拉伯前几个月还在那里。
现在随着美国接管这个已经活跃的基地，苏丹AFB王子将需要几次升级来适应美国的行动。这些措施包括改善道路和跑道，更新基地住房和一个新的医疗中心。
沙特阿拉伯新的军事集结发生在与伊朗的“战略对峙”期间，因为德黑兰加剧了与西方的紧张关系。
周五，英国官员表示，两艘船只——其中一艘悬挂利比里亚国旗——在霍尔木兹海峡被伊朗军队抓获，霍尔木兹海峡是世界五分之一石油供应每天通行的另一条通道。
“这些扣押是不可接受的，”英国外交大臣杰里米·亨特说。“至关重要的是保持航行自由，所有船只都可以在该地区安全自由地通行。”
伊朗革命卫队周五表示，由于“不符合国际海事法律法规”，他们已经抓获了这些船只据报道，这些船只及其船员被带到一个秘密的伊朗港口军事时报。
霍尔木兹海峡的袭击发生在美国官员称美国军方使用电子干扰击落一架伊朗飞机之后，尽管伊朗否认发生过此事。尽管伊朗否认了这一点，唐纳德·特朗普总统周五说，“我们击落了它。”
国家安全顾问约翰·博尔顿重申了总统的声明。
“毫无疑问，这是一架伊朗无人驾驶飞机美国海军鲍克瑟号就像总统昨天宣布的那样把它拿出来，因为它对这艘船和它的船员构成了威胁。这完全是正确的做法，”博尔顿说。
德黑兰周五让步，称其所有无人驾驶飞机已安全返回基地。
伊朗击落一个月前，一架无人驾驶、最先进的美国无人驾驶飞机在伊朗伊斯兰共和国对日本和挪威油轮造成爆炸后一周，这两艘油轮都位于连接阿曼湾和波斯湾的霍尔木兹海峡。
U.S. CONTINUES MILITARY BUILDUP IN SAUDI ARABIA AMID RECENT TENSIONS WITH IRAN
The United States has begun building its military back up at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where the Americans deserted 16 years ago.
The move began last month, but will expedite in the coming weeks as Iran ramps up attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and shot down an American drone earlier this summer.
The U.S. buildup includes the deployment of fighter jets and long-range Patriot missiles, according to NBC News. Though the aircraft will not arrive until August, the missiles have already arrived on the base and are expected to be operational within the next two weeks.
The Royal Saudi Air Force controls the facility located just south of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and a few hundred U.S. servicemembers are already on site prepping for any full-scale operation. More than 500 servicemembers will occupy the base once full air squadrons have arrived.
Officials said the mission is primarily for defense — Patriot missiles for missile defense and fighter jets to defend troops on the ground — but the jets could also be deployed for offensive missions.
An F-35 fighter plane flies over the White House on June 12, 2019, in Washington DC.PHOTO BY ERIC BARADAT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Earl Brown didn't elaborate Thursday on the Air Force base itself, but said it's a joint effort with allies in the region.
"U.S. Central Command continually works to manage our force posture in the region and will continue to do this in cooperation with our partners and allies in the region," Lt. Col. Earl Brown said.
The United States positioned military at Prince Sultan AFB in 1991 during the Gulf War, and remained there to police the "no-fly zone" over Iraq. The U.S. moved back to the base in 1996 after the Khobar Tower bombings that killed 19 service members and injured hundreds of others, and remained there until 2003 when Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
The United States remained there just a few months before turning the base over to Saudi Arabia.
Now with the U.S. taking back over this already-active base, Prince Sultan AFB will need several upgrades to accommodate the U.S. operation. These include improved roads and runways, updated base housing and a new medical center.
The new military buildup in Saudi Arabia comes during a "strategic standoff" with Iran as Tehran has increased tensions with the West.
On Friday, officials in Great Britain said that two vessels — one of them flying under the Liberian flag — were captured by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, a slither of passageway in which one-fifth of the world's oil supply travels daily.
"These seizures are unacceptable," said Great Britain Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. "It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday it had captured the vessels because of "non-compliance with international maritime laws and regulations." The vessels and their crews were taken to an undisclosed Iranian port, according to the Military Times.
The attacks in the Strait of Hormuz come on the heels of American officials saying the U.S. military used electronic jamming to down an Iranian aircraft, though Iran denied it happened. Despite Iran's denial, President Donald Trump on Friday said, "We shot it down."
National Security Adviser John Bolton reiterated the president's statement.
"There is no question this was an Iranian drone, and the USS Boxer took it out as the president announced yesterday because it posed a threat to the ship and its crew. It's entirely the right thing to do," Bolton said.
Tehran doubled down Friday, saying all of its drones had returned safely to base.
Iran shot down an unmanned, state-of-the-art U.S. drone one month ago, one week after the Islamic Republic caused explosions to Japanese and Norwegian oil tankers, both in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf.
