The News
Ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, Riyadh is strengthening relations with an unexpected partner: Iran. Last month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted Iran’s foreign minister and offered to increase trade to ease tensions, Bloomberg reported.
Simultaneously, the kingdom is pursuing a defense pact with Washington. According to Reuters, the agreement is less ambitious than the treaty it had been negotiating, which included normalizing ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia has refused to engage with normalization talks until there’s progress on establishing a Palestinian state.
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