Trump names new US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated John Abizaid, a retired US general from the Iraq War, as the new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the White House said in a statement.

Abizaid began his career in the US Army as an infantry platoon leader and rose to become a four-star general and the longest serving commander of United States Central Command, the statement said.

A recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star, Abizaid is currently a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and works as a private consultant at JPA Associates, the White House said.