Around the end of the month of April in 2014, President Obama announced that he would travel to Saudi Arabia in March in an effort to mend the relationship between the two countries. Saudi Arabia and the gulf states have been frustrated with policies that the United States has been placing on Syria and Iran.[31][34] Iran especially, has been expressing desire to be relieved of the Iran Sanctions Act. Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia proved to be successful as Obama reassured King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that America still intended to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s standing in the Syrian war.