WASHINGTON; The top US diplomat said Wednesday that Washington remained committed to its defense agreement with Saudi Arabia.
“We have a very strong defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, and we will live up to our commitments in that agreement,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Rubio said the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Yemen war were “very disturbing.”
Rubio slammed Iran and the proxies it backs and arms throughout the region, pointing to strikes against Saudi Arabia launched from Yemen and Iraq. “Let’s just be clear here: the Iranian system, the Iranian regime, actively supports organizations in the Middle East who target infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and civilians,” he said.
Nevertheless, Rubio called Saudi Arabia a strategic defense partner. “The US made commitments to them. We will live up to those commitments. We are living up to those commitments now,” he said, adding that President Donald Trump has “many options available” when it comes to potential military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
