Axios: Trump Meets Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman

▪️ Zionist editor Barak Ravid reported in Axios that President Trump met on Wednesday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, according to a U.S. official and another source familiar with the meeting.
▪️ The meeting was added to the Saudi minister’s schedule after he met with Vice President Vance and conveyed that Saudi Arabia prefers to de-escalate tensions with Iran—despite the joint U.S.-Saudi military strike earlier this week against Iran-aligned factions in Iraq (as described by the report), according to a source familiar with the matter.
▪️ Ravid noted that the purpose of the meetings was to deliver a message from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding the war with Iran and the broader regional situation.
▪️ Prince Khalid, the Crown Prince’s close brother, had originally planned to visit Washington last week but postponed the trip because of the strikes in Iraq.
▪️ According to the informed source, the Saudi defense minister told Vance that the Iraqi factions’ attacks on Saudi infrastructure and energy facilities had crossed a “red line,” making a Saudi response unavoidable. He stressed that the strikes in Iraq do not signify Saudi support for further escalation but rather demonstrate the Kingdom’s readiness to defend itself if necessary.
▪️ Barak Ravid also noted that the Saudi defense minister visited the White House one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump.
▪️ In the same context, the report added that two weeks earlier, Trump had given his backing to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for military action against the Houthis in Yemen, who responded by threatening to impose a naval blockade on Saudi ports and launch attacks on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.