The Biden administration has reaffirmed a “strategic defense partnership” between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, despite the kingdom’s dismal human rights record. In a phone call Friday, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the U.S. remains committed to protecting Saudi Arabia’s borders against attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned arms manufacturer signed a deal with Lockheed Martin to form a joint venture. The deal follows Biden’s decision last month to freeze U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over its devastating war on Yemen, which has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.