King Salman, Russian Premier Hold Talks

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President of Russia Hold Session of Official Talks (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President of Russia Hold Session of Official Talks (SPA)
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King Salman, Russian Premier Hold Talks

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President of Russia Hold Session of Official Talks (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President of Russia Hold Session of Official Talks (SPA)

Moscow- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz held talks on Thursday with the Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev, said the Saudi state-owned news agency (SPA).

Immediately after the arrival of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the venue, he was received by the Russian premier and then, they took memorial pictures.

During the talks, the premier expressed happiness with the historic visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to Russia, stressing his country's keenness to promote and develop joint cooperation between the two countries and push them to a wider perspective, as the Kingdom has the potential to be an important partner of Russia, in various fields.

He praised the constructive discussions that took place between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Russian President on Thursday and its great role in promoting and developing cooperation between the two countries, across all fields.

"We would like to pay tribute to the fruitful discussions with President Vladimir Putin, in which it was agreed to strengthen cooperation between our two countries, in various fields," said King Salman in his speech.

"We have stressed the need to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for the Palestinian cause."

"We also stressed that the achievement of peace and stability in the Gulf region and the Middle East and the crises in Yemen, Syria and others requires Iran to stop its expansionist policies and abide by the principles of good neighborliness, respect for international norms and laws and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries."

"Saudi Arabia is living a historic and pivotal stage of comprehensive development and this phase has been translated into Vision 2030," King Salman added.

"We look forward to the participation of your friendly country in cooperating to implement the programs of this vision in the interest of our common interests."

"The efforts of our two countries in the field of oil have resulted in a reduction of production agreement, balancing the interests of consumers and producers and we confirm our concern for the stability of the global oil market."

"In conclusion, we appreciate the warm welcome and good reception of the Russian President, your country and the friendly Russian people and We wish you continued success and prosperity and the Russian people to be more prosperous."

Later on, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations, means of strengthening and developing them and prospects for cooperation between the two friendly countries.

The meeting was attended by the Saudi top level accompanying delegation and senior Russian officials.



US Moving Fighter Jets to Middle East as Israel-Iran War Rages

This handout grab taken from footage released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on June 11, 2025 shows the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) conducting flight operations in the South China Sea, on May 28, 2025. (AFP Photo / DVIDS / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Edward Jacome - Handout)
This handout grab taken from footage released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on June 11, 2025 shows the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) conducting flight operations in the South China Sea, on May 28, 2025. (AFP Photo / DVIDS / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Edward Jacome - Handout)
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US Moving Fighter Jets to Middle East as Israel-Iran War Rages

This handout grab taken from footage released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on June 11, 2025 shows the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) conducting flight operations in the South China Sea, on May 28, 2025. (AFP Photo / DVIDS / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Edward Jacome - Handout)
This handout grab taken from footage released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on June 11, 2025 shows the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) conducting flight operations in the South China Sea, on May 28, 2025. (AFP Photo / DVIDS / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Edward Jacome - Handout)

The US military is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, bolstering US military forces in the region as the war between Israel and Iran rages, three US officials said.

One of the officials said the deployments include F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft.

Two of the officials stressed the defensive nature of the deployment of fighter aircraft, which have been used to shoot down drones and projectiles.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters was first to report on Monday the movement of a large number of tanker aircraft to Europe as well as the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, providing options to President Donald Trump as Middle East tensions soar.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the deployments as defensive in nature, as Washington looks to safeguard forces in the Middle East from potential blowback from Iran and Iran-aligned forces in the region.

A fourth US defense official on Tuesday raised the possibility of the deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean of additional US Navy warships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.

The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defense systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can detect and shoot down enemy missiles.

Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, on Friday after saying it concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.