WASHINGTON—Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday wrapped up an official trip to Washington that put the spotlight on the kingdom’s war in Yemen but also emboldened Saudi Arabia to more forcefully counter rival Iran. “We believe that the Houthis can play a role in Yemen but that role has to be commensurate with their size. The State Department approved about $1 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia this week, including $670 million in TOW antitank missiles. U.S. officials said the sales are part of a $100 billion arms deal announced last year during Mr. Trump’s trip to Riyadh. By selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, Washington also hopes to prevent the kingdom from turning instead to Russia, which has been courting closer ties with the Gulf’s Arab countries as it seeks to expand its role in the Middle East.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 23, 2018 23:37 UTC