LONDON — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson praised social reforms in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, will arrive in London on March 7 for talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May and other senior ministers. Johnson said Crown Prince Muhammad deserved support for overturning a ban on women driving, relaxing gender segregation and setting a target to get more women into the Saudi workforce. “Change does not come easily. In a matter of a few months, genuine reform has taken place in Saudi Arabia.” Describing Saudi Arabia as one of Britain’s “oldest friends in the region”, Johnson highlighted the importance of cooperation both to counter Daesh militants and as a diplomatic counterweight to Iran. Britain has openly sought to woo Saudi Arabia ahead of the expected stock market listing of state oil company Saudi Aramco, which could be the largest such offering in history. Meanwhile, the White House said US President Donald Trump discussed Iran’s “destabilizing activities” and other security and economic issues in separate telephone calls with Crown Prince Muhammad and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday. In calls with Saudi Crown Prince and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Trump thanked them for highlighting ways that Gulf Arab states “can better counter Iranian destabilizing activities and defeat terrorists and extremists,” the White House said. Trump also discussed enhancing bilateral partnerships on security and economic issues with the Saudi and Abu Dhabi crown princes, the White House said. — Agencies