Crown Prince Mohammed, who is also Saudi Defense Minister, reviewed bilateral relations with Austin, especially in defense cooperation, state news agency SPA said. US President Joe Biden said this week he plans to recalibrate US relations with Saudi Arabia and will conduct diplomacy through Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz rather than his powerful son the crown prince, widely referred to as MbS. Saudi has led a military coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen since early 2015. MbS’s prestige suffered a blow after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the hands of Saudi security personnel seen as close to the crown prince. Former US President Donald Trump maintained steady contact with the crown prince through his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Source: Egypt Independent February 19, 2021 08:37 UTC