US President Donald Trump has nominated Republican congressman Wesley Hunt, a US Army veteran, as his new ambassador to Saudi Arabia -- a post that had been left vacant amid the war with Iran. Hunt's nomination was sent Monday to the US Senate, which must vote on his confirmation. "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," Hunt said in a post on X. The nomination comes at a time of fresh attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi soil. The group last week seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which has become vital as the wider US-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz.
