News In Brief
| Washington
Saudis pass on data gained by US surveillance planes
Saudi Arabia is passing on information on Iranian air movements to Kuwait after that information is gathered by US radar surveillance planes, the Pentagon said Thursday.
''The sharing of data with the Kuwaitis is done with our knowledge,'' Defense Department spokesman Michael Burch told reporters.
Tankers bearing oil from Kuwait and Saudia Arabia have come under attack from Iranian warplanes, and the United States has taken steps to improve the Saudis' ability to guard against such attacks. The US also is considering improvements in Kuwait's air defenses.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has on order five new AWACS - airborne warning and control system - planes, which it will start receiving from the United States next year.
