Rubio: We reaffirm our commitment to the defense agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed the United States’ commitment to the mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, noting that Washington intends to fulfill all its obligations toward the kingdom.

Rubio said in an interview with Fox News: “We have a defense agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we intend to honor our commitments under it.”

The U.S. Secretary of State described the current conflict in Yemen as “extremely dangerous and complex.”

He stressed the necessity of resuming operations of the East-West oil pipeline and protecting the Saudi economy and navigation in the Red Sea.

Most areas of Yemen are witnessing a military escalation between the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah), following the group’s announcement on July 13 last year to end the de-escalation phase that had been in effect in the Arab country since late 2022. This came after air strikes targeted Sana’a International Airport just before the landing of an Iranian plane carrying a delegation from the group, which subsequently landed at Al-Hudaydah International Airport in western Yemen.