Pompeo, Saudi FM Discuss Iran, Yemen and Detained Activists

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud discussed efforts to overcome divisions between the Arab Gulf countries needed to deter Iran.

The leaders also discussed ways to achieve an “inclusive political solution” to the conflict in Yemen during a phone call on Monday, according to Cale Brown, State Department principal deputy spokesperson. The conversation also including a discussion of the “strong bilateral security and economic partnership” between the two countries, as well as “US support for Saudi Arabia’s economic and social transformation under Vision 2030, and the importance of continued progress on human rights.”

Pompeo also called on Saudi Arabia to “fairly and expeditiously” resolve the cases of wrongfully detained US citizens and human rights activists held in the kingdom.