CIA director says US felt 'blindsided' by Saudi Arabia reconciliation with Iran

The director of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is revealed to have expressed displeasure at Saudi Arabia's recent reconciliation with Iran, during an unannounced visit to the kingdom this week.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with the matter, CIA director Bill Burns told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit that the US felt "blindsided" by the kingdom's rapprochement with Iran and its ally Syria.

Riyadh and Tehran last month agreed to re-establish full diplomatic ties – after around eight years of severed relations – in a deal brokered by China, which many in the international community saw as a blow to US hegemony in the Middle East and the world more broadly.