RIYADH — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss regional security, namely Iran. He was received at King Khalid airport here by Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bint Bandar.

Pompeo will hold talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as well as Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan, State Department officials said.

“We are not rushed, the pressure campaign continues. It’s not just an economic pressure campaign... It’s isolation through diplomacy as well,” Pompeo said before his flight to Riyadh.

“(In Riyadh) we’ll spend a lot of time talking about the security issues — the threats from Iran in particular, but we’ll talk about a broad range of things.”

Pompeo’s trip comes three weeks after President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, which the Palestinians rejected outright.

Saudi Arabia expressed support for direct peace negotiations under US auspices while reiterating unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause. — SG