US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia and assessed Riyadh’s conflict with the Houthis in the Red Sea.
The United States remains committed to fulfilling its defence obligations to Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
He made the statement in an interview with US television network Fox News.
“We have a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. We intend to follow through on our obligations under it. We will follow through,”
- Marco Rubio said.
The US secretary of state also assessed developments in the Middle East, in particular Riyadh’s conflict with the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis), calling it “very dangerous and complicated.”
In November 2025, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed the Strategic Defense Agreement (SDA), aimed at strengthening their defence partnership and “enhancing deterrence and countering threats in the Middle East.”
