WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden’s supporters often brush off his slips of the tongue as byproducts of the speak-your-mind politics many Americans crave. But this time, Biden’s verbal blunders are causing more than just a few rough headlines and a momentary nuisance for the White House.

Biden has had to apologize to a trio of key U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State militants after accusing the allies of arming and funding al-Qaida-linked groups in Syria. After making weekend calls to leaders in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, Biden’s office said the vice president spoke Tuesday with Saudi Arabia’s minister of foreign affairs and “clarified” his statements about the kingdom’s support for extremists.