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 Saudi King Salman met with Obama at the White House on Friday to
seek more support in countering Iran, as the Obama administration
aimed to use the visit to shore up relations after a period of
tensions.
The visit is the king's first to the United States since ascending
to the throne in January 2015, and comes after the United States
agreed to a nuclear deal with Iran in July.
The U.S.-Saudi relationship has suffered strain because of what
Riyadh sees as Obama's withdrawal from the region, a lack of direct
U.S. action against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and a
perceived U.S. tilt towards Iran since the 2011 Arab uprisings.
But the countries share many strategic objectives and depend on each
other on a number of core security, economic, and political issues.
Speaking after the meeting between Obama and Salman, Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Obama had assured the Saudi king that
the agreement prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,
includes inspections of military and suspected sites, and has a
provision for the snapback of sanctions if Iran violates the
agreement.
Under those conditions, al-Jubeir said, Saudi Arabia supported the
deal.
 "Now we have one less problem for the time being to deal with, with
regards to Iran," al-Jubeir said. "We can now focus more intensely
on the nefarious activities that Iran is engaged in the region."
Gulf Arab states had previously expressed their support for the Iran
nuclear deal, but fear that the lifting of sanctions on Iran would
enable it to pursue destabilizing policies in the Middle East.
Salman skipped a Gulf Arab summit at Camp David in May, a move
widely seen as a diplomatic snub over Obama's Iran strategy, though
both governments denied that interpretation.
Critics say the nuclear deal will empower Iran economically to
increase its support of militant groups in the region.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are opposed on a number of regional issues,
especially the 4 1/2-year-long Syrian civil war and unrest in Yemen,
where a coalition of Arab states led by Riyadh, assisted by the
United States, are targeting Iran-allied Houthi forces.
Obama said on Friday that he and Salman share concerns about Yemen
and the need to restore a functioning government and address the
humanitarian situation there.
U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said ahead of
Salman's visit that the United States believed more care needs to be
taken to avoid civilian casualties in the air strikes against Houthi
forces in Yemen.
Al-Jubeir said on Friday that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen was
being exacerbated by the Houthis and that supplies were at risk of
being diverted from Yemenis who need them most, but that Saudi
Arabia was working with international organizations to send supplies
to Yemen.
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A Saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes across Yemen
against Iranian-allied Houthi forces since March, pushing back
Houthi forces but drawing criticism from international aid and
rights groups for a mounting civilian death toll.
Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman also met on Friday with
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and the two discussed Saudi
Arabia's underlying defense requirements, the Pentagon said.
The Obama administration is focused on providing the assistance that
the president promised at the Camp David summit, including helping
Gulf states integrate ballistic missile defense systems and beef up
cyber and maritime security.
Saudi Arabia remains the world's largest oil exporter, and its
commitment to pumping oil freely despite a recent price decline has
helped contribute to sustaining the U.S. economic recovery. Obama
and Salman will discuss the world economy and energy issues, Obama
told reporters on Friday.
Saudi Arabia has also joined the United States and other Arab states
in air strikes against the Islamic State jihadist movement in Syria,
also called ISIS.
"We continue to cooperate extremely closely in countering terrorist
activities in the region and around the world, including the battle
against ISIS," Obama said on Friday.
Obama and Salman discussed the potential fast-tracking of the
release of American military technology and weapons systems to Saudi
Arabia, al-Jubeir said, and discussed a "new strategic partnership"
between the two countries, although he gave few details.
The Gulf state is in advanced discussions with the U.S. government
about buying two frigates based on a coastal warship that Lockheed
Martin Corp is building for the U.S. Navy, a deal valued at well
over $1 billion.
The sale would be the cornerstone of a long-delayed
multibillion-dollar modernization of the Royal Saudi Navy's
Gulf-patrolling eastern fleet of aging U.S. warships and would
include smaller patrol boats.
(Editing by Ken Wills, Tom Brown and Diane Craft)
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