Rubio, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister hold talks on Yemen, Hormuz Strait

What the report says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met in Washington, DC, to discuss regional security concerns, with attention on Yemen, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb. According to Al Jazeera’s report, the talks took place on Monday and focused on cooperation around shipping safety and broader stability in the Middle East.

The article said the two diplomats also discussed the war in Yemen and the continuing threat from the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which has carried out attacks along the Red Sea coast and on targets in Saudi Arabia, including airports and oil infrastructure. Rubio later said on X that the meeting covered bilateral cooperation on security and stability issues involving Iran, Gaza, Sudan and Yemen.

Saudi state media said the officials addressed political and security developments in the region, as well as efforts to deal with the Yemen conflict. They also discussed protecting freedom of navigation through key waterways used for global trade. In general, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb are strategically important transit points, so any disruption there can affect shipping and energy flows.

Al Jazeera also noted that the meeting came amid wider regional tensions and stalled diplomacy surrounding the conflict involving Iran and Israel, with the Yemen war linked to those broader dynamics.