WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and presidential adviser Jared Kushner will lead an American delegation to Saudi Arabia's annual financial conference, the Future Investment Initiative (FII) — a lavish event dubbed "Davos in the desert", US media reported Tuesday.

The United States will send a top-level delegation to this year's edition led by Mnuchin, the New York Times reported, citing the Treasury Department.

Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and Brian H. Hook, the State Department's special envoy overseeing Iran policy, will also attend, the paper said, citing unnamed sources.

Global firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup are also planning to send top executives to this year's event, the Washington Post reported earlier.

The leaders of India and Pakistan, Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, will also attend, according to local press reports in their countries this week.

The conference, which begins next week, is aimed at drawing foreign investors to help Riyadh diversify its economy, a vision of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. — AFP