DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden’s high nationwide safety aide met Sunday evening with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince amid long-standing tensions between the White Home and the dominion.
The state-run Saudi Press Company acknowledged the assembly between Jake Sullivan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the Purple Sea port metropolis now on the coronary heart of seaborne evacuations from the combating in Sudan.
The state information report mentioned solely that the lads reviewed “strategic relations” in a gathering that included different American officers.
Later, Sullivan took half in a gathering with the crown prince and Indian nationwide safety adviser Ajit Doval and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the nationwide safety adviser of the neighboring United Arab Emirates.
The White Home didn’t instantly acknowledge the assembly or present a readout about them. Saudi state media didn’t instantly publish both video or pictures of the assembly as nicely.
Biden campaigned on a promise to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” after the 2018 slaying of Washington Put up columnist Jamal Khashoggi on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence businesses consider the killing got here on the crown prince’s orders, although Riyadh denies it. Nevertheless, Biden did make a visit to the dominion final July because the U.S. sought the dominion’s help on maintaining power costs beneath management as Russia’s struggle on Ukraine rages on.
Within the time since, Biden vowed there could be “penalties” over oil manufacturing cuts by OPEC+, a gaggle that features Russia. The benchmark Brent crude now sits at $75 a barrel as world markets stay involved about nations making rate of interest hikes to fight inflation and U.S. banks face turmoil.
For its half, Saudi Arabia has sought a detente with Iran after years of tensions, whilst U.S. sanctions stay imposed on Tehran as its nuclear program quickly advances. That might assist see an finish to a Saudi-led navy marketing campaign in Yemen’s struggle. The dominion additionally has performed a job in bringing Syria again into the Arab League because the U.S. and others stay against President Bashar Assad’s rule amid that nation’s lengthy struggle.
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Jon Gambrell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.