RIYADH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Gulf Arab officials in Saudi Arabia Wednesday at a time of rapidly shifting alliances following the oil-rich kingdom’s rapprochement with Iran.

Blinken attended a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting in the capital Riyadh that kicked off shortly after he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

“The two sides pledged to continue their strong cooperation to end the fighting in Sudan,” it added in a statement.