Local Editor

A US Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Persian Gulf has hosted the Saudi defense minister, who currently leads the kingdom’s brutal aggression against Yemen.

The Saudi Press Agency said that Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman boarded the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Wednesday, adding that the visit was made upon a request by the US Department of War.

"The visit comes in response to an invitation by the U.S. Department of Defense," it said, adding that Salman was briefed on the carrier’s weapons and operations.

The ship is operating in the area of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in waters close to Bahrain, a close ally of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, a Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has been carrying out airstrikes against Yemen since March. 

The Saudi attacks, which have claimed the lives of over 2,600 people in Yemen, have had the support of the US as Washington has provided Saudi jets with aerial refueling, the Pentagon has said.

According to a senior US diplomat after the aggression began in March, he has said that the US was speeding up arms supplies and bolstering intelligence sharing with the Saudi-led coalition.