Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Trade Lavish Praise in U.S. Visit
- The two leaders didn’t announce progress on conflicts
- President overlooks criticism of Saudi human rights record
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President Donald Trump demonstrated his administration’s embrace of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the Oval Office for a meeting high on mutual praise but short of big announcements.
As the visit began, Trump hinted at a withdrawal from the international agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program -- a decision that would likely be welcome in Saudi Arabia, which regards the deal as a boon for its regional foe. But the two leaders announced no progress resolving other Mideast disputes -- the war in Yemen, which is taking a catastrophic toll on civilians; the Saudi Arabia-led isolation of Qatar; or an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan under development by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.