CIA Director William Burns made a secret visit to Saudi Arabia this week to meet with his intelligence counterparts, amid rising tensions in the region over Iran’s nuclear program and Yemen’s civil war.
Burns traveled to Riyadh on Tuesday and held talks with Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan, the head of the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency, and other senior officials.
The CIA declined to comment on the details of the meeting, but a spokesperson said that Burns “regularly engages with his counterparts around the world on shared security challenges.”
The visit comes as the Biden administration is seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which Saudi Arabia and its allies oppose, fearing that it would embolden Tehran’s regional ambitions and destabilize the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have been locked in a proxy war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The Biden administration has announced that it will end US support for offensive operations in Yemen and appoint a special envoy to help end the war. It has also called on Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record and hold accountable those responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Burns, a former diplomat who took over as CIA director last month, is expected to play a key role in shaping US policy toward Saudi Arabia and Iran. He has extensive experience in the region, having served as deputy secretary of state and ambassador to Jordan.
Burns is also known for his involvement in secret talks with Iran in 2013 that paved the way for the nuclear deal. He has expressed support for diplomacy with Tehran, but also warned of its malign activities in the region.
In his confirmation hearing in February, Burns said that he would provide “unvarnished” intelligence to President Joe Biden and his national security team on Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“I think they deserve the most accurate, objective and balanced intelligence that we can provide,” Burns said. “And I think they also deserve our best professional judgment about how we can protect our interests and advance our values.”