U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he had nominated Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) to serve as the next US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, filling a position left vacant since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Hunt is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. He is leaving the House after serving two terms representing Texas’s 38th Congressional District and an unsuccessful run for a Senate seat in Texas in March.
Michael Ratney, the previous full-time US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, left office at the end of the Biden administration. Since mid-August, Jennifer Larson, a career member of the State Department’s Foreign Service, has led the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh on an interim basis, succeeding Alison Dilworth.
Following the announcement, Hunt issued a statement saying: “Having served in the region both in combat as an Army officer and for two years as a diplomatic liaison in the Kingdom, I understand the strategic importance of the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the profound responsibility of this position.”
“When confirmed, I will serve with humility and honor, advance his vision of peace through strength and deepen this vital partnership,” he added.
The nomination comes amid rising tensions in the Kingdom in the wake of the Houthis’ recent military victories over Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and the terror group’s takeover of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
