Pompeo met Saudi Arabia leaders amidst pressure on relationship with US after Khashoggi’s murder

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Monday with Saudi Arabia’s leaders, bearing a message of support for a close Trump administration ally at a time when the relationship is under pressure at home and abroad.

Pompeo said that he pressed Saudi Arabia’s crown prince on Monday on a range of thorny issues — including war, murder, diplomatic rifts and human rights abuses — that have weakened the American-Saudi alliance and increased tensions among Arab nations.

At the same time, Pompeo reaffirmed the two nations’ shared goal of opposing Iranian policies in the Middle East.

“I want to talk to you about a couple of places we’ve been,” Mr. Pompeo told Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, at the start of their morning meeting at the royal palace. “We think we learned a lot along the way that will be important going forward.”

Prince Mohammed, apparently sensing the delicate political situation, said, “We’ll try to add more positivity to your trip, as much as we can. And we’ll try to cooperate more.”

via New York Times