Okaz newspaper

SAUDI ARABIA and the United States under the Trump Administration have been able to take their strategic bilateral relationship back on track after it had deviated from the historic path during the previous US administrations when the two countries differed on their approach to a number of regional issues including the Iranian nuclear build-up.

The visit of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to Washington has succeeded in rearranging the political stances on two issues important to the Kingdom; the first concerns Iran, its nuclear program and its interventions in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and the second is related to the Houthis and their coup against the legitimate government of Yemen at the behest of Tehran.

The US Administration today is firm toward the nuclear agreement with Iran and believes that some of its loopholes, which enabled Iran to go ahead with its plan to stockpile a nuclear arsenal, should be plugged.

The US has also become more understanding toward the Kingdom's stance on Yemen, which is aimed at preventing the Houthis from taking control and turning the country into a launchpad for Iran's ballistic missiles that pose a threat not only to the security of the Kingdom but also to the navigation in Bab Al-Mandab.

In addition to the warm welcome accorded to the Crown Prince, the visit revealed a large amount of harmony in the meetings he had held with the president, the vice president, the defense secretary and the leaders of the Congress.

These meetings have served the Kingdom's interests and have also catered to its security needs and requirements.

The meetings, which were held or will be held with top personalities in the fields of education, technology and knowledge economy, will help project the future image of the Kingdom, which the prince has envisioned.

They will also highlight the new opportunities available for American investors in the Kingdom.