U.S. defense secretary meets Saudi monarch

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz received U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in Jeddah on Wednesday, who is on a regional tour aimed at reassuring Washington's allies over a nuclear deal with Iran. Carter held talks with King Salman in which he conveyed the greetings of U.S. President Barack Obama and “reviewed relations between the Kingdom and the United States,” according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Carter “stressed the United States of America's keenness on enhancing peace and stability in the region,” SPA added. The meeting was attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is defense minister and second-in-line to the throne.   Al-Arabiya