Daily Times

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman discussed the “continuing threat posed” by Iran, the State Department said Friday.

Pompeo “assured the Crown Prince that the United States stands with Saudi Arabia in the face of these threats, as reflected in our greater military presence in Saudi Arabia” during their Thursday bilateral meeting in Riyadh, department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

Pompeo and bin Salman further addressed the conflict in Yemen, as well as the situations in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, Ortagus added.

Pompeo also met with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al-Said in Muscat on Friday as part of his regional travel, conveying an invitation for al-Said to visit U.S. President Donald Trump, which was accepted, Ortagus said in a separate statement.

The top U.S. diplomat is expected to return to Washington on Saturday, concluding a trip that took him to Germany, Senegal, Angola, Ethiopia and the Middle East.

The US began building up its military presence in the kingdom last summer as President Donald Trump and his oil-rich ally Riyadh accused Iran of attacking tankers in the Gulf and Saudi oil installations, incidents that roiled global energy markets last year.

Tehran denies involvement in the attacks and Riyadh has since appeared eager to engage in cautious diplomacy to ease friction.

Tensions in the region further heightened up following the US assassination of Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani as he was visiting Iraq on January 3.

The move triggered Iranian retaliation with missile strikes targeting Iraqi military bases housing US troops.