Meet Wesley Hunt, Trump's pick for ambassador to Saudi Arabia
The Texas Republican previously served for two years in the kingdom as a diplomatic liaison officer.
President Donald Trump has nominated Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt to be the next US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, tapping an army veteran with experience in both Iraq and the kingdom to take on the post as Riyadh confronts a renewed Houthi offensive in Yemen and a surge in Houthi attacks on Saudi territory that threaten the kingdom's oil exports.
The White House announced Hunt's nomination Monday, saying it sent it to the Senate for consideration.
The post has been vacant since Trump took office. Michael Ratney, the previous US ambassador, left the post at the end of the Biden administration in January 2025. Jennifer Larson, a career Foreign Service officer, has served as charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Riyadh since August.
Hunt’s Middle East record
Hunt, 44, is a US Army veteran who served one combat deployment in Iraq, where he flew 55 air combat missions, and, according to an X post by Hunt, spent two years in Saudi Arabia as a diplomatic liaison officer. He served in the Army from 2004 to 2012.
Hunt was elected to the House in 2022 and took office in January 2023, representing Texas' 38th Congressional District as a Republican. In October 2025, Hunt launched an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for the US Senate, opting not to seek another term in the House. He finished third in the March 2026 Republican primary. His current House term runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
In an X post on Monday thanking Trump for the nomination, Hunt pointed to his military service in the Middle East and said the US and Saudi Arabia have a “historic opportunity to deepen the US Saudi partnership, strengthen American security, advance our economic and energy interests, confront our common adversaries and build a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East through American strength.”
Hunt's record in Congress has largely been in line with mainstream conservative positions on the Middle East.
Before entering Congress, Hunt told AIPAC in 2022 that Israel was the United States’ “one true ally” in the Middle East, adding, “We have enemies, actually all over that region, particularly Iran. And let’s be honest, most of the 9/11 attackers were born in Saudi Arabia.”
As a member of the House, Hunt voted in April 2023 for a resolution encouraging the expansion and strengthening of the Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states.
Bringing Saudi Arabia into the accords has been a major foreign policy goal for Trump, whose administration brokered the original agreements during his first term. In July, the Trump administration reached a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, but Trump subsequently said the deal would not move forward unless Riyadh agreed to normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords.
Riyadh has insisted that normalization with Israel must be preceded by progress toward establishing a Palestinian state.
A hard line on Iran
Hunt has also taken a hard line toward Iran. In November 2023, he voted for a resolution declaring that a nuclear Iran was unacceptable. In 2024, after Iran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel, Hunt said Israel had the right to defend itself and blamed the Biden administration's foreign policy for the escalation.
The Texas Republican backed Trump's 2025 strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying Iran had chosen “violence” and that the operation would “dismantle Iran's nuclear ambitions at the source.” In 2026, he repeatedly voted against House War Powers resolutions that would have required the administration to end unauthorized US military operations against Iran unless Congress authorized the use of force. In April, Hunt wrote on X: “If Iran chooses escalation, if they choose economic warfare or threats against our allies, then the United States must be prepared to respond with overwhelming resolve. The Strait of Hormuz is not a bargaining chip for terrorists.”
Riyadh’s Houthi challenge
His nomination comes as Saudi Arabia faces a renewed challenge from Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Iran-backed group has seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha and advanced along Yemen's western coast toward the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, including taking control of Perim Island at the strait's mouth. The group’s gains have put pressure on Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and threaten a shipping route that has become increasingly important to the kingdom’s oil exports. The route has gained importance amid disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz because of the US-Iran conflict.
Hunt’s nomination now goes to the Senate, where the Foreign Relations Committee will consider it before sending it to the full chamber for a confirmation vote. A majority of senators voting is required for confirmation.