U.S. officials said Saudi King Abdullah has repeatedly told visiting Americans that he was dismayed over the Bush administration's support for pro-Shi'ite polices in Iraq. Abdullah was quoted as saying that U.S. assistance to the Shi'ite-dominated government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki could lead to Teheran's takeover of Iraq and the Gulf region.

"He [Abdullah] also told me that he had severe misgivings about the Maliki government and the reasons for that," U.S. Central Command chief Adm. William Fallon said. "He felt, in his words, that there was a 'significant linkage to Iran.' He was concerned about Iranian influence on the Maliki government and he also made several references to his unhappiness, uneasiness with Maliki and the background from which he came."

Officials said Abdullah later repeated the message to the State Department's Iraq coordinator, David Satterfield. In late April, Satterfield was said to have failed to persuade Abdullah to meet Al Maliki.

In his testimony, Fallon said he urged the Saudi leader to support the Iraqi government. The general advised Abdullah not to count on the United States to help oust Al Maliki.

"We're not going to be the puppeteers here," Fallon told the Senate committee on May 3. "It also, given the many constraints that we're under, was not very realistic to expect that a new government is going to do any better in a short period of time."

Officials said Abdullah's dismay over U.S. policy prompted a decision by President George Bush to send his vice president to Saudi Arabia. They said Vice President Richard Cheney was directed to discuss Saudi grievances and assure Abdullah of the U.S. commitment to Gulf security.

"I think on the whole, Saudi leadership is a very good thing, given the strength and enduring nature of our relationship with the Saudis and the amount of work and cooperation we've done over the years," an aide to Cheney said in a briefing.

Another source of Saudi frustration has been opposition in Congress to a major U.S. aircraft and weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. Several members of the Democratic-controlled Congress have circulated a letter to Bush that demands a suspension of the proposed $10 billion deal.

Central Command has urged the administration to approve most of the Saudi arms request. Officials said Centcom plans to conduct eight military exercises with Saudi Arabia in 2007 as part of increased cooperation.

"Our security cooperation efforts will prove increasingly important as we promote multilateral security efforts and counter-proliferation initiatives in the Arabian Gulf area," Fallon said. "These are aimed at deterring destabilizing influences and protecting our friends and U.S. interests from aggression.

On Saturday, Cheney met Abdullah for four hours in the northwestern Saudi town of Tabouk. After the meeting, Cheney and his entourage flew to the southern Jordanian port of Aqaba for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah.

On the eve of his meeting with the Saudi king, the vice president warned Iran not to dominate the Gulf. On May 11, Cheney said Iran would be prevented from blocking oil shipments through the Straits of Hormuz.

"We're sending clear messages to friends and adversaries alike," Cheney said. "We'll keep the sea lanes open. We'll stand with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating this region."