President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, visited Saudi Arabia on Monday and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to reports. National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said Sullivan was traveling to Riyadh and would also visit the United Arab Emirates on the same trip, but did not provide details.
Photos of the visit were not shared as of the time of this article’s publication on the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). A statement was not available on the National Security Agency’s website, nor was any mention of the visit noted in a news release on the SPA. Most news stories on the event were published in advance of the meeting.
According to Arab News, Sullivan was joined by Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, and Saudi Deputy Defense Minster Prince Khalid bin Salman.
In July, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in Washington with Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman “to discuss the longstanding partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, regional security, and the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups.”
As the AP notes, Sullivan is being dispatched “at a moment when the situation in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, has further deteriorated. Fighting has intensified in the key city of Marib, as Iran-backed rebels have sought to oust the Saudi-backed government from the oil-rich city in the country’s north.”
