JERUSALEM POST
Were There Clues Foreshadowing Saudi Arabia’s Diplomatic Shift?
John Hannah
May 2, 2023

…I’ve been reviewing my notes from a trip to Riyadh last November with a delegation from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). We spent a week meeting top Saudi leaders. Nothing we heard would have led me to predict that less than four months later, the world would wake up to the shocking image of China’s top diplomat clasping hands with senior Saudi and Iranian negotiators. But in hindsight, there were plenty of clues dropped that provide important context for making sense of the kingdom’s recent machinations. Three stand out. The first concerns Saudi Arabia’s collapsing confidence in the durability of its bilateral relationship with Washington. READ MORE

JPOST White House’s Sullivan to travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks with Saudi leaders, as the United States seeks to bolster often-frayed ties with Riyadh. Sullivan, speaking at a think tank conference, also said the United States will “take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon” and still seeks a diplomatic outcome to the challenge posed by Tehran.