High-Level Saudi Official Holds Talks at Pentagon, NSC

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, met with senior White House officials in Washington on Tuesday, the highest-ranking Saudi official to visit Washington since the start of the Biden administration. Salman is the younger brother of Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the US accuses of approving the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Saudi official’s visit to the White House was not publicly announced in advance. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday that the meetings were taking place and said that the issue of Khashoggi would probably come up in the talks.

Salman held a meeting at the Pentagon with Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, “to reaffirm the U.S.-Saudi defense relationship,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters during a regular briefing. The two leaders also discussed “efforts to end the war in Yemen and to share the U.S.-Saudi commitment to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities,” Kirby said. Salman also met briefly with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also met with Salman, according to the White House. The discussed regional security, and “the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks from Iranian-aligned groups,” NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement. Sullivan, in a veiled reference to Khasghoggi, “emphasized the importance of progress in advancing human rights in the kingdom.”