ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Saudi Arabia is concerned with Iran’s policy of destabilization in the region, including its support for armed groups, and its failure to cooperate with the international community in regards to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the Saudi king told the kingdom’s top advisory body on Wednesday.
“We are following with great concern the Iranian regime's policy of destabilizing security and stability in the region, including the establishment and support of sectarian and armed militias, the systematic deployment of its military capabilities in the countries of the region, and its failure to cooperate with the international community regarding the nuclear program and its development of ballistic missile programs,” King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud told the Shura council according to a transcript of the meeting published by Saudi state media (SPA).
The king’s statement comes as both Iran and Saudi Arabia have over the past months held several meetings aiming at normalizing their ties.
“Iran is a neighboring country to the kingdom, and we hope that it will change its negative policy and behavior in the region, and move towards dialogue and cooperation,” the monarch, who turns 86 on Friday, added.
Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic have had rocky relations since 1979, when Shia revolutionaries came to power in Iran and pledged to export its revolution to the world, including Gulf countries. Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in the Yemeni civil war since late 2014 has caused concerns for the Saudi establishment.
Tens of thousands have been killed, and over 80 percent of Yemen’s population are dependent on aid according to the United Nations.
“We are also following up on the Iranian regime's support for the terrorist Houthi militia, which prolongs the war in Yemen, exacerbates the humanitarian crisis there, and threatens the security of the kingdom and the region,” King Salman said.
Their relations took a notable dive in 2016, when Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions after the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
In August, Iraqi moderation brought the regional foes to the table, as Baghdad hosted a summit for neighboring countries. Baghdad has previously moderated talks between Tehran and Riyadh.
In an interview with AFP in November, the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said that the kingdom was committed to holding “substantive” talks with Iran, and it believes that an alignment of interests is possible between the two countries.
Officials from both countries have expressed hope in tangible results from their talks.
Iran’s Customs Administration spokesperson Roohollah Latifi last month said that Saudi Arabia has rejoined the list of countries to which Iran exports.
However despite efforts at bringing both countries together, the Saudi side has always been a huge critic of Iran’s nuclear program.
The Saudi foreign minister had previously said that they have “significant doubts” when it comes to the country’s nuclear program given Iran’s acceleration of its nuclear activities, claiming it “cannot be justified by a peaceful nuclear program.”
Iran’s atomic energy agency in November said that its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilograms. Iran was not meant to enrich uranium above 3.67%, according to the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which ongoing talks are attempting to revive in Vienna.
Under former US President Donald Trump’s administration, the US withdrew from the nuclear accord and imposed a raft of sanctions in an effort to force Tehran to renegotiate a broader deal. President Joe Biden wants to return to the deal.
The US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Tuesday told reporters that there has been some “modest progress” in the talks.
Other participants of the negotiations have also explained the urgency to reach a deal.
"We are clear that we are nearing the point where Iran's escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out the JCPOA," read a joint statement by France, Britain, and Germany on Tuesday. “That means we have weeks, not months, to conclude a deal before the JCPoA's core non-proliferation benefits are lost.”
