The United States said on Friday that it is ready to help Saudi Arabia fight any threats from al-Qaida if it receives request from the Gulf country.

"We have excellent counter-terrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia and we of course would do whatever we could if there was a request from the Saudi government, both in general or specific terms, for assistance in countering a terrorist threat," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing.

McCormack said al-Qaida had recently issued a video-taped message in which it called for "terrorists" to attack Saudi oil facilities.

"This would of course be of concern to the Saudi government. There have been threats in the past against their oil facilities," he said.

McCormack made the comments after Britain's Royal Navy said that coalition forces in the Gulf had been deployed to counter a possible threat to Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura terminal, the world's biggest offshore oil facility.

Saudi Arabia has been a key U.S. ally in the war against terrorism.

Source: Xinhua