U.S. denies reports of strained ties with Saudi Arabia

Abu Dhabi, October 24: The United States has denied reports of Saudi Arabia planning to limit its interaction with Washington amid differences over Syria. State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the fundamental relationship and partnership with key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia was as strong as earlier, the Gulf News reports. The comments came after there were reports on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia''s intelligence chief has said the kingdom is planning to limit its interaction with the United States in wake of Washington''s failure at taking any effective action on Syria crisis and Palestine. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. was aware that the Saudis were disappointed over its decision of not striking against the chemical weapons arsenal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He further added that the U.S. is working out on some challenging issues with Saudi Arabia and other international partners as they share the same goals.