MANAMA: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, on Thursday met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manama, Bahrain, and discussed the regional developments, particularly the US-Iran agreement.
During the meeting on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United States, the two ministers stressed the importance of freedom of international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions, and the developments in Gaza and Lebanon, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
Both sides reviewed regional and international developments, most notably the US-Iran agreement and the progress made in negotiations between them.
#Manama | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the GCC–US Ministerial Meeting. pic.twitter.com/FIwncUFm53
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) June 25, 2026
The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Prince Musab bin Mohammed Al Farhan; Saudi Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain Naif Al Sudairi; Director General of the Office of the Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Ismail; and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Manal Radwan.
The meeting comes less than a week after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan aimed at ending a conflict that had gripped the Middle East for more than 100 days and impacted several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) capitals.
The countries later agreed on a 60-day roadmap towards a final agreement following the conclusion of high-level talks in Switzerland mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
Rubio is currently on a three-nation Gulf tour, which began in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. His visit marks the first trip by a senior US official to the region since Washington and Tehran reached an agreement last week aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Secretary said that while President Donald Trump has a range of options available if Iran fails to comply with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the United States remains committed to pursuing a diplomatic resolution and will give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed.
“The president has multiple options at his disposal if Iran goes back on their word or decides they don’t want to make a deal. Let’s hope that’s not the case; we don’t want it to be the case. We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to work,” he told reporters in Bahrain.
