Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah. Pic/AP

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia and later met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

Blinken's trip comes after the kingdom under Prince Mohammed has been more willing to disregard the US in striking its own decisions. Riyadh has clashed repeatedly with the US President Joe Biden on its supply of crude oil to global markets, its willingness to partner with Russia in OPEC+ and reaching a détente with Iran mediated by China. Biden also pledged to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Riyadh and Washington have also been working in tandem to try and strike a lasting cease-fire in Sudan, which has been elusive during weeks of fighting between that country's military and a rival paramilitary force; and Saudi Arabia wants to end its war in Yemen, something also sought by the US.

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