German foreign minister continues Middle East trip in Saudi Arabia

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul continued his trip to countries affected by the Iran war with a visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Wadephul met Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in the capital Riyadh in the evening. He said he wanted to explore what prospects the Saudi government sees for an end to the attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran and for the period afterwards.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia reported its first fatalities since the start of the Iran war following a suspected Iranian attack. Two people were killed when a projectile struck a residential building in the al-Kharj governorate, south-east of Riyadh, a spokesman for the Saudi civil defence said.

Despite an ongoing economic transformation, Saudi Arabia remains heavily dependent on oil revenues and relies on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping passage is currently severely restricted.

Amin Nasser, chief executive of state oil company Aramco, said that any blockade of the waterway would have "catastrophic consequences" for global energy markets, according to reports. Because of disruptions linked to the war, Aramco is already unable to ship oil through the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia has been targeted several times by Iranian retaliatory attacks since Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran on February 28.

Two drones also struck the US embassy in Riyadh, causing minor property damage, according to the Saudi Defence Ministry. The United States has ordered part of its embassy staff to leave the country because of the security situation.