Saudi defense chief visits White House as Riyadh wary of Iran strike
The visit is occurring as the Pentagon amasses an armada off Iran and the United States continues to threaten to strike the Islamic Republic militarily.
WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Khalid bin Salman, arrived in Washington for a meeting with top Trump administration officials on Thursday as the Pentagon amasses an armada off Iran and the United States continues to threaten to strike the Islamic Republic militarily.
Prince Khalid, the brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. EST with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, along with dual-hatted US Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio and US special envoy to the region Steve Witkoff, sources familiar with the plans told Al-Monitor.
According to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Defense that was released before the meeting, Prince Khalid’s visit “comes to discuss the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and ways to strengthen them, and to address topics and issues of common interest.”
The meeting is occurring as Trump publicly warned Iran's leaders on Wednesday to return to negotiating with the United States and reach a new agreement that surrenders the country's path to a nuclear weapon.
