Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met with Vice President JD Vance in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, as the US-Iran war threatened to embroil the kingdom.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Prince Khalid was originally scheduled to travel to the United States last week, but his trip was postponed. His visit to Washington was brief, and he left after his meeting with Vance, according to the sources.
His visit came less than a day after the US and Saudi Arabia conducted joint military operations against Iran-linked “logistics and weapons sites” in Iraq. He was also in Washington at the same time as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though one source said that timing was coincidental.
The Saudi defense minister discussed a number of issues with Vance, including the joint strikes and Saudi Arabia’s response to attacks on its infrastructure, according to one of the sources. He also had a message from Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman that he wanted to deliver in person, the source said. Another source told CNN that Khalid wanted to convey his country’s view on the ongoing war.
The Saudi defense minister also met with President Donald Trump and discussed regional developments, a source familiar told CNN.
The meeting with Trump was added after Khalid’s meeting with Vance. The Saudi defense minister conveyed a message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Trump about the kingdom’s view on the war, a source familiar said.
The kingdom’s assessment, according to the sources, is that Iran will seek to create leverage through escalation and will continue trying to use pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen’s Houthis to do so. Saudi Arabia still wants to see de-escalation and believes that escalation and prolonging the war comes with major risks, the sources said, but that it will respond if necessary, as it did on Tuesday.
The Saudi response to the Houthis and the Iraqi militias was meant to make clear that attacking civilian infrastructure is a red line that will not go unanswered, although the kingdom still seeks de-escalation. It was also intended to send Iran’s proxies a message that this is not their war to fight, the sources said.
This post has been updated with additional details.
