Energy supply and developments in the Middle East in communication between Biden and King Salman

US President Joe Biden and King Salman of Saudi Arabia discussed energy supply issues, as well as developments in the Middle East, including Iran and Yemen, during a telephone conversation yesterday.

“The two leaders are committed to ensuring stability in the global energy supply,” the White House said in a statement.

Salman also spoke about maintaining balance and stability in the oil markets and stressed the need to comply with the OPEC + agreement, as reported by the state news agency of Saudi Arabia SPA.

OPEC + agreed last week to maintain modest increases in its oil production, with its Member States trying to meet production targets but also expressing reservations about the possibility of producing larger quantities of crude oil in relation to calls from their large customers in order to control price increases.

Separately, Biden reiterated the United States’ commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia in its defense against attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the White House said.

Biden also briefed Salman on international talks on “restoring restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program,” the White House said in a statement.

The war in Yemen is widely seen as an indirect military conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis, who ousted the government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014, say they are fighting a corrupt system of aggression from abroad.

Salman told Biden that Saudi Arabia wanted a “political solution” to be found in Yemen, according to the SPA.

Biden’s last telephone conversation with Salman reportedly took place a year ago, around the time of the release of a U.S. report claiming that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the son of King Salman, had approved the operation to arrest and assassinate journalist Jamal Kasogi in 2018.

SOURCE: AMPE

Source: Capital

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