US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid strained relations between Riyadh and Washington. Blinken’s trip to Saudi Arabia that began Tuesday is his second since becoming America’s top diplomat. It also comes after Saudi Arabia under Prince Mohammed has become more willing to disregard the U.S. in striking its own decisions. However, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations still rely on the U.S. to be the security guarantor for the region as tensions over Iran’s nuclear program spill over. Blinken will also meet with other Saudi officials, attend an anti-Islamic State meeting in Riyadh and meet with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council.