Marine Corps general visits Riyadh for talks with Saudi leaders

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Joe Dunford, is in Riyadh to meet with national security and military officials.

Dunford plans to meet with Saudi King Salman al-Saud and Prince Muhammad bin Nayef. He and Saudi Army General Abdulrahman Al-Banyan will meet with defense ministry and interior ministry officials after Dunford meets with others at the U.S. embassy.

Dunford and Saudi representatives will talk about issues of mutual concern, as well as Iran's influence on the region.

Saudi Arabia is a close ally of the U.S. in addressing issues in the Middle East.

This is Dunford's first visit to Saudi Arabia in his current role, though he has met with Saudi officials before, such as during a meeting in October in Maryland, where officials from 43 nations met to discuss violent extremism.

Dunford's visit to Riyadh follows a trip to Ankara where he held talks with Turkish military leaders.