— Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid Bin Salman met on Friday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his deputy, Wendy Sherman, concluding a four-day visit to Washington. The meeting between Prince Khalid and the top US diplomats at the State Department focused on bilateral relations as well as strategic security and economic cooperation. During his visit to Washington, Prince Khalid led meetings of the US-Saudi Strategic Joint Planning Committee and held bilateral talks with top Cabinet members in the Biden administration. This is the second meeting between Blinken and Prince Khalid since the US secretary of state assumed office last year. Prince Khalid previously held meetings at the Pentagon with Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, during which talks focused on Iran"s destabilizing activities in the Middle East and the need to strengthen Saudi defenses. Kahl “underscored US commitment to supporting the Kingdom in defending itself against external threats”, the Pentagon said. Prince Khalid also met US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House during his visit.