Iran is a Key Topic in Saudi King and Barack Obama's Dialogue

The White House announced on Wednesday that King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia will meet with President Barack Obama during his visit to the United States on Friday, September 4. According to Reuters, Mr. Obama intends to reassure the Saudi king that despite concerns from U.S. allies in the Gulf states who believe the new nuclear agreement with Iran will enhance Tehran's power in the region, the United States will remain committed to assisting Saudi Arabia against any potential security threats from Iran. The dialogue between the leaders of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia comes two weeks before the final vote in the U.S. Congress on the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. Currently, the number of supporters of the Iran nuclear agreement in the U.S. Senate has reached 34, and thus, if Congress were to oppose this agreement, President Barack Obama could exercise his veto power. Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor to Barack Obama, stated in a press conference that the U.S. understands Saudi Arabia's concerns regarding the improvement of Iran's economic situation and what Tehran could do after the lifting of sanctions, but at the same time emphasized that Mr. Obama assures the Saudi king that the U.S. will do 'everything it can' to counter potential Iranian threats against its neighbors. According to U.S. officials, during the meeting on Friday, Mr. Obama also intends to express the United States' concerns about civilian casualties in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of regional countries since April 6 of this year, launching attacks against Houthi forces in Yemen to restore power to Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the ousted president of the country.