RIYADH – US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates was holding talks in Riyadh on Wednesday with Saudi King Abdullah, with both sides concerned by Iranian intentions in the region and spiralling unrest in Yemen.
“Iran will be a major focus of their conversations, both in terms of the regional threat they pose but also lately in the role they’ve been playing in trying to exploit the unrest in the region to their advantage,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said ahead of the meeting.
And although Washington and Riyadh have had differences over their responses to the wave of Arab uprisings, Morrell said that “the secretary has developed and enjoys an excellent relationship with King Abdullah.”
