The United States and Saudi Arabia are close to a final agreement on a bilateral agreement after the U.S. national security adviser made significant progress in talks with the Saudis over the weekend, the White House said on Monday.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the two side are "closer than we've ever been" on an agreement that is now "near final."
The discussions come in the wake of reports that Washington and Riyadh are close to an agreement for U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance, even as an Israel-Saudi normalization deal envisioned as part of a Middle East "grand bargain" remains beyond reach.