WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — President Barack Obama will offer King Salman of Saudi Arabia new support in cyber security, maritime resources and Special Forces, National Security Council officials told reporters in a conference call.
"[W]e’re seeking to broaden this conversation from those large-scale systems… to these more nimble 21st-century capabilities in areas like cyber and maritime and special forces," Deputy National Security Advisor For Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said in the conference call on Wednesday.
Rhodes said the United States and Saudi Arabia both faced new threats in the Middle East "from the types of Iranian meddling that we’ve seen in different countries, and also that come from terrorist organizations like ISIL [Islamic State] that also use asymmetric tactics."
Rhodes insisted that the Obama administration remained committed to protecting Saudi Arabia and other US Arab allies in the Middle East from any Iranian threats or actions.
"[W]e need to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region," Rhodes said. "And there’s always a risk that Iran could spend funds [from the estimated $55 billion it will receive in unfrozen assets in the United States] on those nefarious activities."
The visit will be King Salman’s first trip to Washington since succeeding his brother, King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, who died in January.
"[W]e’ve continued under the radar in these working-group meetings — really rolling up our sleeves… to build out a whole range of capabilities in …areas …including border security, maritime security, cybersecurity [and] counterterrorism," Prescott stated.
Both officials stressed that the Obama administration was determined to maintain the defense capabilities of Saudi Arabia as well as its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council in the face of any potential Iranian threats.
