Deterring Iran, Securing Region Are Joint Goals for Saudi Arabia, US

American and Saudi national flags fly over a main road in Riyadh in 2017. (AFP file photo)
American and Saudi national flags fly over a main road in Riyadh in 2017. (AFP file photo)
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Deterring Iran, Securing Region Are Joint Goals for Saudi Arabia, US

American and Saudi national flags fly over a main road in Riyadh in 2017. (AFP file photo)
American and Saudi national flags fly over a main road in Riyadh in 2017. (AFP file photo)

The ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States were underscored during a telephone call between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

Their talks highlighted Saudi emphasis on the need to preserve the security of the region and deter all acts that may destabilize it.

The telephone call underlines that importance of the joint strategic alliance between the Kingdom and Washington that dates back 80 years.

King Salman and Biden stressed the importance of these relations and their impact on the Arab world. Biden expressed to the monarch Washington’s keenness on strengthening the bonds of friendship and bolstering relations between their countries.

The leaders discussed diplomatic efforts to safeguard regional security, as well as international efforts to end the war in Yemen. Biden assured King Salman that the US was committed to helping the Kingdom defend itself against threats at a time when it is confronting repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center, said the telephone call between King Salman and Biden reflects the strategic importance of the Kingdom and its pivotal role in preserving the region’s security and stability.

The US is a main player in the security and stability of the region, whereby the alliance between Riyadh and Washington underscores the common goals they share, such as economic development and prosperity, oil policy and the war on terrorism, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Moreover, he said that Saudi Arabia saw that it was necessary to intervene militarily in Yemen to safeguard regional security. He noted that the US is helping the Kingdom defend its territories.

He said that the international community has let down Yemen by failing to pursue the implementation of United Nations Security Council 2216 that bars the delivery of weapons to the war-torn country.



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Approval of Settlement Expansion in West Bank

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Israeli Approval of Settlement Expansion in West Bank

The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat
The flag of Saudi Arabia. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia condemned on Saturday the approval by Israel’s security cabinet to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “the Kingdom firmly rejects the continuous Israeli violations of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.”

It also cautioned about “the severe consequences of the practices of the Israeli occupation authorities, given the lack of international accountability.”

The ministry said the Israeli violations undermine the prospects for peace and exacerbate conflicts, destabilizing the region and the world.