Saudi Arabia’s Vice Defense Minister to visit Washington, London: Report

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has issued directives to Vice Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to conduct an official visit to Washington and London in the next two days, according to sources who spoke to pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

“In the United States, he will meet with senior officials at the White House as well as those at the State and Defense departments, in the framework of the Kingdom’s endeavor to exert all efforts to achieve calm, restraint and fending off all that leads to the escalation of conditions, and in a manner that enhances the security and stability of the region,” Asharq al-Awsat quoted one of its sources as saying.

This comes as the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince stressed the importance of de-escalating regional tensions in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi.