AMMAN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States has recently deployed a large number of fighter jets and transport aircraft to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, marking a noticeable increase compared with the base's usual level of deployment, local media reported Saturday.
The deployment was carried out in accordance with a defense agreement signed between Jordan and the United States in Amman in 2021, Roya News reported, citing several anonymous Jordanian officials.
The officials expressed hope that ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran would yield an agreement and help prevent the outbreak of war in the region.
Separately, The New York Times (NYT) recently reported that satellite images taken on Feb. 20 showed that the United States had deployed more than 60 fighter jets at the Jordanian air base, roughly three times the number typically stationed at the facility.
The report added that the satellite images indicated the presence of more advanced aircraft models than those previously observed at the base, including F-35 stealth fighter jets. In addition, new air defense systems have been installed.
Flight-tracking data also showed that at least 68 transport aircraft landed at the base over the past week, NYT reported.
Located about 100 km northeast of Amman, the capital of Jordan, Muwaffaq Salti is considered one of the main U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
The development came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, and followed two rounds of indirect nuclear talks between the two sides this month, with the first in Muscat on Feb. 6 and the second in Geneva on Feb. 17. ■
