Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met President Donald Trump and other senior US officials at the White House on Wednesday, hours after joint US-Saudi strikes targeted Iran-backed militias in eastern Iraq.
Prince Khalid had been scheduled to visit Washington last week, but the trip was postponed following an uptick in attacks by Iran-backed groups across the region.
In a meeting with Vice President JD Vance, his first with the Saudi defense minister, Prince Khalid said the Kingdom would not tolerate attacks on its energy infrastructure or civilian targets, sources familiar with the discussions told Al Arabiya English.
Vance welcomed the visit and praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The sources said Riyadh’s role in Tuesday night’s strikes was meant as a message not only to the militias in Iraq but also to the Houthis in Yemen, signaling that the Kingdom would not accept attacks on civilian or energy facilities.
Prince Khalid reiterated Riyadh’s longstanding call to de-escalate regional tensions and preserve stability, while making clear that Saudi Arabia has both the capability and the resolve to defend itself when necessary, the sources said. He added that the Kingdom was not seeking a broader regional confrontation, even as it continues to respond to Iran-backed threats.
The meetings came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington this week. The sources said Saudi Arabia was focused on finding ways to de-escalate tensions across the region, while Netanyahu was advocating for greater escalation.
Following the strikes, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said the Kingdom “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces.”
The meeting came amid renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed groups in both Iraq and Yemen. In Yemen, the Houthis have targeted Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea and attempted to strike targets inside the Kingdom, raising fears of a return to broader hostilities. In Iraq, Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones launched by Iran-backed militias on Monday and Tuesday.
A US source familiar with the operation told Al Arabiya English that around 20 Iranians were killed in the strikes.
