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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the State Department in Washington on Monday, with the two diplomats focusing their discussions on regional security cooperation, the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and the safety of shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.
The talks come as the joint US-Israeli war on Iran enters its eighth month, with diplomatic efforts at a standstill. Mediators continue to shuttle messages between the warring parties, but no breakthrough appears imminent. The conflict, which began after the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of hostilities, has expanded well beyond its initial theater, drawing in multiple regional actors and destabilizing key waterways.
In a post on X following the meeting, Rubio said he and Prince Faisal discussed "our bilateral cooperation in regional security and stability, including in Iran, Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen." The broad agenda reflects the widening scope of concerns shared by Washington and Riyadh as the war's ripple effects spread across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported that the two officials addressed "the security and political developments in the region, the situation in Yemen, as well as the efforts being made to address it." According to the agency, the ministers also discussed protecting "the security of navigation and freedom of passage" through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb strait off Yemen's coast. Both waterways are critical chokepoints for global oil shipments and commercial trade, and their continued safety is viewed as essential to regional stability and the uninterrupted flow of goods.
The meeting followed US media reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had requested American military assistance against the Houthis in Yemen. According to Reuters, which cited unnamed sources, Washington declined to carry out direct strikes but agreed to provide intelligence and targeting support. That arrangement falls short of a full military commitment, suggesting the US is seeking to limit its direct involvement in Yemen even as it backs Saudi efforts to counter the Iran-aligned group.
The Houthis have intensified their operations in recent weeks, launching an offensive along Yemen's Red Sea coast and striking targets inside Saudi Arabia, including airports and oil infrastructure. These attacks have raised concerns about the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's energy sector and the potential for further escalation. The Houthis, who have received backing from Iran throughout the conflict, have positioned themselves as a key front in the broader war, opening a second major theater beyond the immediate Iran-Israel confrontation.
The conflict's expansion into Yemen has also deepened a humanitarian crisis. Yemen's health system, already weakened by years of civil war, could collapse in some areas, a government minister warned over the weekend. The combination of renewed fighting and strained medical infrastructure threatens to exacerbate an already dire situation for civilians.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass, has been a particular focal point of tensions. Iran has touted attacks in the strait in recent days even as oil flows have continued, signaling that Tehran views the waterway as a pressure point it can leverage. Any sustained disruption there could send global energy prices soaring and strain economies far beyond the region.
The Bab al-Mandeb strait, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is similarly vital. Houthi activity along Yemen's Red Sea coast has already raised the risk level for commercial shipping, with vessels facing potential attacks. The two ministers' emphasis on freedom of navigation underscores the economic stakes involved and the shared interest in preventing the conflict from choking off maritime trade.
Beyond the Yemen discussions, Rubio held separate talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Salam urged Washington to help implement a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which has stalled despite initial deployments. Lebanon was drawn into the conflict after Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel, citing the killing of Khamenei and near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory.
Israel currently occupies approximately 6 percent of Lebanon, and the June agreement envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern areas as the Lebanese army deploys and works to disarm Hezbollah. Implementation has stalled, with Hezbollah refusing to relinquish its weapons and insisting that Israel withdraw first. In a statement after his meeting with Rubio, Salam called for "practical steps and tangible results on the ground" leading to a full Israeli withdrawal and bringing all weapons under state control.
Salam said both sides need "a clear timetable" and "a credible verification mechanism" to monitor progress. Such a mechanism, he argued, would prevent a failure to carry out one part of the agreement from becoming a pretext to halt the entire process. He also called for US and international support for relief, reconstruction, and the return of displaced people, as well as continued assistance for the Lebanese army.
The parallel diplomatic tracks in Washington reflect the complex web of conflicts that have emerged from the Iran war. While the US and Saudi Arabia coordinate on Yemen and maritime security, Lebanon's fragile ceasefire remains at risk of unraveling. The broader region faces interconnected crises with no clear resolution in sight, and the coming weeks will test whether diplomacy can gain traction where military operations have so far failed to produce decisive outcomes.
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