WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia and the United States are committed to countering and deterring Iran's destabilizing behavior in the Middle East region, said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan. Prince Farhan also said that the Iranian regime continues to provide financial and material support to terrorist groups, including in Yemen where the Houthis have launched more than 300 Iranian-made ballistic missiles and drones toward the Kingdom. The Saudi foreign minister made the remarks at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo here on Wednesday. Prince Farhan is in the US for the first Saudi-Strategic Dialogue, which aims to further strengthen the historic relationship between the two countries. Commenting on the dialogue, the Saudi foreign minister said: "Today's meeting is held 75 years after the historic meeting in 1945 between President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy that established our enduring strategic partnership." Prince Farhan added that the meeting is coming at a very important time. He said that the strong partnership between the two countries is vital in confronting the forces of extremism and terrorism that threaten our security and prosperity. Briefing the media about the meeting, the Saudi minister said: "We had a very constructive discussion this morning on ways to enhance and build upon the strong bilateral ties between the Kingdom and the United States in all fields." "I look forward to more discussions this afternoon on our joint efforts to advance regional peace and stability, and to expand our economic and defense cooperation," he added. Seeking to enhance bilateral relations and cooperation, Prince Farhan said: "Under the leadership of King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and President Donald Trump we look forward to expanding our ties, enhance our institutional cooperation and elevate our partnership to new heights." Meanwhile, the US secretary of state also agreed that Iran's destabilizing behavior must be reined in, adding it "threatens Saudi Arabia's security and disrupts global commerce." Pompeo said Iran's behavior was evident in its attack on Saudi Aramco facilities last year and frequent Houthi attacks inside Saudi territory using rockets, drones, and "lethal weapons supplied by the Iranian regime." Pompeo announced that the US was preparing to acquire a 26-hectare site for a new US embassy in Riyadh. Later in the day, the Saudi foreign minister took to Twitter and said: "It always feels great to be back in DC. Today, I was pleased to have met with Secretay Mike Pompeo. We held talks regarding KSA-USA strategic and historic partnership and a wide range of topics. I look forward to having a successful and constructive Strategic Dialogue." The US secretary of state also tweeted, saying: "Pleased to launch the US-Saudi Strategic Dialogue in Washington with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan. We look forward to reinforcing our enduring partnership by expanding our defense and energy cooperation and increasing cultural and educational exchanges." "Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan discussed the importance of the bilateral relationship in maintaining regional stability through extensive security, economic, and people-to-people partnerships," the US Department of State said in a statement. "The strategic dialogue reaffirmed bilateral commitments to counter Iran's threats to regional security and prosperity, seek a political solution to end the conflict in Yemen, and enhance maritime and border security. The United States recognized Saudi Arabia's progress toward transforming its economy under the Vision 2030 plan while emphasizing the importance of continued human rights reform and strengthening of civil society." "Delegates concluded the dialogue by agreeing to advance economic and security objectives through working groups on defense, economics and energy cooperation, and culture and education exchanges, the statement added.
