Energy secretary Rick Perry tweeted the photo above from his weekend meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the heir to the Saudi throne. Perry met Monday morning with King Salman.
His trip also included meetings with Energy minister Khalid al-Falih, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser Falih, and various U.S. companies operating in the region.
Why it matters: Perry's meeting and sunny photo op with the ascendant crown prince underscores the ongoing U.S.-Saudi alliance despite the competition between U.S. shale production and OPEC, which is grappling with how to respond to the reemergence of the U.S. as a global powerhouse in crude markets.
