Saudi King to Meet Obama Today
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Saudi King Salman will meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Friday, as the Obama administration aims to use the visit to shore up relations after a period of tensions.
The visit is the king's first to the United States since ascending to the throne in January, and comes after the US agreed to a nuclear deal with Iran in July.
The US-Saudi relationship has suffered strain because of what Riyadh sees as Obama's withdrawal from the region, a lack of direct US action against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and a perceived US tilt towards Iran since the 2011 Arab uprisings, according to Reuters.
Obama secured a political victory this week, when enough Senate Democrats threw their support behind the Iran nuclear deal to sustain a threatened veto of any congressional vote of disapproval.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are opposed on a number of regional issues, especially the 4 1/2-year-long Syrian civil war and unrest in Yemen, where a coalition of Arab states led by Riyadh - assisted by the US - are targeting Houthi forces.
Despite the tensions, the two countries depend on each other on crucial security, business, and economic issues.
Saudi Arabia remains the world's largest oil exporter, and its commitment to pumping oil freely despite a recent price decline has helped contribute to sustaining the US economic recovery. Obama and Salman will discuss global energy markets during the visit, the White House said.
The Persian Gulf state is also in advanced discussions with the US government about buying two frigates based on a coastal warship that Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) is building for the US Navy, a deal valued at well over $1 billion.
The sale would be the cornerstone of a long-delayed multibillion-dollar modernization of the Royal Saudi Navy's Persian Gulf-patrolling eastern fleet of aging US warships and would include smaller patrol boats.
