Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince hold candid talks amidst strained relations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an "open, candid" conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman covering topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights. They discussed the potential for normalization of relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue. The US has a "real national security interest" in advocating for normalizing Saudi-Israeli ties but cautioned about the time frame.