Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held talks in Saudi Arabia Wednesday with members of the Saudi royal family, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister and architect of the war in Yemen. Their meeting came just weeks after President Trump signed a series of arms deals with Saudi Arabia totaling a record $110 billion. This is Secretary Tillerson.

Secretary Rex Tillerson: “I appreciate the joint interests that we share, our two countries, our mutual interests here, in terms of security, stability for the region and economic prosperity for the region, as well. It’s a very important, strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”

Tillerson’s visit came as the Saudi kingdom and its Gulf allies press sanctions against Qatar. The Gulf allies broke off relations with Qatar in June, issuing 13 demands including an end to Qatar’s diplomatic ties with Iran and closure of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Secretary Tillerson returned to Qatar today for more shuttle diplomacy after meeting Tuesday with the Qatari emir and foreign minister.