WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will meet one-on-one with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Washington next week to discuss developments across the Middle East.

The White House says the two will talk Wednesday before Obama welcomes other heads of Gulf Cooperation Council countries for meetings at the White House and Camp David.

Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the fighting in Yemen are key topics. The Saudi-led Coalition of Arab states have announced a unilateral cease-fire in Yemen, to start Tuesday, as a “humanitarian pause” to allow food and other aid to reach Yemeni civilians.

Obama says the Mideast situation will grow worse if negotiations to rein in Iran’s nuclear program fail.