NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz told the United Nations General Assembly that his kingdom supports efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, as world leaders prepare to resume talks with Tehran to reinstate a 2015 nuclear pact.
“The kingdom insists on the importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, on this basis we support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons,” he said in a pre-recorded video address to the annual gathering.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been rivals for years, backing allies fighting proxy wars in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. They cut diplomatic ties in 2016, but have been holding talks this year aimed at reducing tensions.
“Iran is a neighbouring country, and we hope that our initial talks with it will lead to concrete results to build confidence … based on… respect of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs,” King Salman said.
In his address, King Salman said Yemen’s Houthis were rejecting peaceful initiatives to end the war and that Saudi Arabia would defend itself against ballistic missiles and armed drones.
The 85-year-old ruler said the kingdom had taken big steps over the past five years since his heir Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched an ambitious plan to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil and other changes.
He also made reference to Saudi Arabia fighting extremism. “The kingdom continues to fight extremist thinking, built on hatred, and keeping in check terrorist organisations and sectarian militias that destroy humanity and nations,” he said.
His remarks followed a call by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi to resume nuclear talks with world powers that would lead to the removal of US sanctions as negotiations about reinstating a 2015 nuclear pact have stalled.
“The Islamic Republic considers the useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions,” Raisi said in his pre-recorded address at the annual UN General Assembly.
“The policy of ‘maximum oppression’ is still on. We want nothing more than what is rightfully ours. We demand the implementation of international rules. All parties must stay true to the nuclear deal and the UN Resolution in practice,” he said.
Iran and the United States in April started indirect talks in Vienna on salvaging the nuclear agreement, but those stopped two days after Raisi was elected as Iran’s president in June.
Under the 2015 agreement, Iran curbed its uranium enrichment program, a possible pathway to nuclear arms, in return for the lifting of U.S., U.N. and EU sanctions. Former US President Donald Trump quit the deal three years ago and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors that have crippled its economy.
Raisi, who is under personal US sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses in his past as a judge, said the US sanctions “were crimes against humanity during the coronavirus pandemic.”
The reimposition of US sanctions by Trump in 2018 prompted Tehran to violate the nuclear deal’s limits. Tehran says its nuclear steps are reversible if Washington lifts all sanctions. Raisi, echoing Iran’s official stance for years, said nuclear weapons “have no place in our defence doctrine and deterrence policy.”
Tehran signalled that the negotiations in Vienna would resume in a few weeks, without giving a specific date. Iranian and Western officials have said many issues remain to be resolved before the accord could be revived.
