Washington: US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud discussed the situation in war-torn Yemen during a meeting on Tuesday, including Houthi rebels and Iranian activity and the humanitarian crisis, the White House said.
"On Yemen, the President and the Crown Prince discussed the threat the Houthis pose to the region, assisted by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps," it said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The leaders discussed additional steps to address the humanitarian situation and agreed that a political resolution to the conflict is ultimately necessary to meet the needs of the Yemeni people," the statement said.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in neighbouring Yemen in 2015 against Iran-aligned Houthis, who had ousted the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The civil war has killed an estimated 10,000 people.
On Tuesday, the US Senate killed a resolution seeking to end Washington's support for the military campaign in Yemen.
Some of the lawmakers backing the resolution called the conflict a "humanitarian catastrophe".
Last week, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis appealed to lawmakers not to adopt the measure and defended US military support to Saudi Arabia.
Mattis said the US assistance, which includes limited intelligence support and refuelling of coalition jets, was ultimately aimed at bringing Yemen's war toward a negotiated resolution.
He warned that a withdrawal could increase civilian casualties and would embolden the Houthi rebels, who have fired missiles at Saudi Arabia and targeted ships off Yemen’s coast.
Prince Mohammed met on Wednesday with executives of Boeing Co, Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin Corp and General Dynamics Corp, the Saudi Embassy in Washington said in a statement.
"Discussion focused on the shared interests of both nations for developing technology and growing trade and business ties," the statement said.
At the White House meeting on Tuesday, Trump credited US military sales to Saudi Arabia with boosting American jobs.