According to the Associated Press, on Friday, "U.S. President Joe Biden dispatched National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding the normalization of relations with Israel." The agency cited an anonymous White House National Security Council official who stated that Sullivan and Bin Salman discussed the potential path for normalizing relations between the kingdom and Israel.
The White House noted in a statement that "Sullivan arrived in Jeddah on Thursday to hold discussions with the crown prince and other Saudi officials. The extensive talks included initiatives aimed at enhancing a shared vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East, and efforts to seek a lasting end to the long-standing conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen."
For its part, the Saudi Press Agency reported that the two sides "discussed Saudi-American relations, strategic ties and ways to enhance them in various fields, in addition to the latest regional and international developments of mutual interest," without releasing any photos of the meeting, which was attended by the Saudi ministers of defense and energy, along with the head of the Public Investment Fund.
According to the Associated Press, "the United States is trying to persuade Riyadh to end its war in Yemen and is also attempting to pressure it regarding global oil prices, but with limited success." The agency added that "a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthiest Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and enhance Israel's position in historically significant ways. However, mediating such a deal is a heavy burden, as the kingdom has stated it will not officially recognize Israel before resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Furthermore, it was noted that "the Saudis have shown reluctance to move forward with normalizing relations with Israel at a time when it is led by the most right-wing government in its history and tensions with the Palestinians are escalating." The report also mentioned that "Saudi Arabia has increasingly pushed for a nuclear cooperation agreement that would allow the United States to enrich uranium in the kingdom," which raises concerns among nuclear non-proliferation experts, as centrifuges could pave the way for a potential weapons program.
