Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince is singing US President Donald Trump's praises after their meeting, calling him a "true friend of Muslims" and claiming the leader's immigration ban does not target Islam.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, in what his senior adviser deemed a "historic turning point" in US-Saudi relations.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Arabia's powerful Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on March 14, for talks expected to focus on the economy and rolling back Iranian influence.

Trump welcomed the young prince to the Oval Office, as both countries expect to improve ties that were frequently strained under Barack Obama's administration.

A $22.5 billion urban rail and bus system for the congested Saudi Arabian capital is on track, the city's governor said on May 4, as other projects in the kingdom are delayed.

The king of Saudi Arabia has sacked the country's water and electricity minister, Abdullah al-Hussayen, amid public anger over price hikes, state media reported.

King Salman issued a decree on April 23  ordering his dismissal and replacement in the interim by Agriculture Minister Abdel Rahman al-Fadli, said the official SPA news agency.

A delegation of Shiite Houthi rebels from Yemen is holding talks in Riyadh, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said April 4, ahead of a planned ceasefire and renewed Yemeni peace negotiations.

"The Houthi delegation is in Saudi Arabia and the discussions are ongoing. I believe we have made good progress," Jubeir told reporters.

Iran's oil exports have surpassed 2 million barrels per day following the lifting of sanctions under its nuclear deal with world powers, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on April 3.

"Iran's oil and gas condensate exports are now at more than 2 million barrels per day" after rising by 250,000 bpd since March 1, the ministry's Shana news service quoted Zanganeh as saying.

Saudi Arabia is considering issuing shares in state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's powerful deputy crown prince told The Economist in a rare interview published on Jan. 7.

Turkey has joined a 34-state Islamic military alliance that consists solely of Sunni states to fight terrorism amid a continuing war on jihadists in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The United States warned on Dec. 11 that some problems remain to be solved in a pact between Syrian opposition forces if U.N.-backed peace talks are to resume next week.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he would talk with his Saudi counterpart about how to fix problems in the deal reached Dec. 10 by Syrian rebel groups meeting in Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Saudi Arabia's defence minister this week in a meeting aimed at boosting bilateral ties after years of tensions over Syria, his aide said June 17.