Saudi FM Calls on Iran to Be Transparent about Its Nuclear Program

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participates in the MENA Forum, hosted by the Middle East Institute and Think Research and Advisory, in New York on Friday. (Think Research and Advisory)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participates in the MENA Forum, hosted by the Middle East Institute and Think Research and Advisory, in New York on Friday. (Think Research and Advisory)
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Saudi FM Calls on Iran to Be Transparent about Its Nuclear Program

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participates in the MENA Forum, hosted by the Middle East Institute and Think Research and Advisory, in New York on Friday. (Think Research and Advisory)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participates in the MENA Forum, hosted by the Middle East Institute and Think Research and Advisory, in New York on Friday. (Think Research and Advisory)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed his country’s concern over Iran’s acquiring a nuclear weapon, warning of the danger this could pose to the regional and international security.

The top Saudi diplomat said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York: “We are concerned about the Iranian nuclear program. We are clear that Iran (acquiring) a nuclear weapon is a very dangerous matter. It is dangerous not only for security in the region, but also for the structure of international security.”

He continued: “We hear from the Iranians that their nuclear program is for civilian purposes. We hope this is true. And if that is the case, then I don’t understand the lack of transparency... We also have a nuclear program, we adhere to the highest standards of transparency, and we are working with our international partners to build the program so that everyone is fully aware of it...”

“So we hope that the Iranians will take the path of transparency to reassure everyone. And if they don’t, it will raise many questions about their intentions.”

Iran and the Houthis

The Saudi foreign minister was addressing New York’s MENA Forum, hosted by the Middle East Institute and Think Research and Advisory, on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly on Friday.

He pointed to Iran’s continuous supply of drones to the Houthi militias in Yemen, saying that Saudi Arabia had managed to deter about 94 percent of the drone attacks against it.

Regarding the nationwide truce in Yemen, Prince Faisal said: “We see signs that the Houthis are not likely to accept the extension of the truce, and this would be a very unfortunate development because the truce has already achieved results for the Yemeni people.”

The truce went into effect in April and has since been renewed twice. It is set to expire on October 2.

Iraq

The foreign minister said the Kingdom “encourages Saudi companies to invest in Iraq,” stressing that promoting economic stability in the country would “limit the influence of players who do not care about the interests of the Iraqi people, but only about their political and ideological agendas.”

“We know that the situation there is currently difficult, but there are voices calling for change in the interest of the country and its economy. Iraq has a lot of capacities,” he emphasized.

Israel and Palestine

On relations with Israel, Prince Faisal affirmed that the Kingdom “is interested in peace,” but the only way for a stable region was to resolve the Palestinian crisis, which he said will only happen through the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians need to move in this direction,” he stated, stressing Saudi support for efforts in this context.

He added: “Any additional steps will not be sustainable. We need sustainable peace, and the only way to achieve that is through a solution.”

Russia and Ukraine

Commenting on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Saudi FM said ending the conflict must go through negotiations.

Prince Faisal stressed that the Kingdom had expressed its willingness to mediate between the two sides since the beginning of the crisis.

In this regard, he noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman worked to facilitate a prisoner release, saying: “I am happy to announce that they are on their way to their country after arriving in the Kingdom two days ago.”

China

In addition, Prince Faisal stated that China was the largest trading partner of the Kingdom and the United States, adding: “We all have an interest in working with China, as it is the second largest economy in the world. So it is important that we have an ongoing dialogue.”

The minister pointed to an increasing trend towards the politics of marginalization, stressing that many countries around the world felt that they were not represented fairly, and that their interests were not being taken care of.

He said: “This is very dangerous, and if marginalization increases, we fear that the global economy and the international security structure will be shaken.”

“We, in the Kingdom, have decided to focus on a path to sustainable development and prosperity for our people. We don’t want politics to distract us. We want to talk about investment, cooperation and progress, and we hope our international partners will focus on that as well.”



Trump Thanks Saudi Crown Prince for Hosting Washington-Moscow Talks

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Trump Thanks Saudi Crown Prince for Hosting Washington-Moscow Talks

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Asharq Al-Awsat)

US President Donald Trump thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday for hosting talks between Washington and Moscow this week, calling the Kingdom a “special place with special leaders.”

Speaking at a conference organized by the Future Investment Initiative Institute, Trump said it was “a tremendous honor” to be the first American president to address the FII Institute.

The conference Trump spoke at is being held in Miami, Florida, from Wednesday until Friday.

Launched in 2017, FII brings together investors, policymakers, government officials and international private sector executives from across the globe.

The event is an extension of the Kingdom’s plans to diversify its economy by bringing together changemakers and discussing partnerships and policies for and in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Trump asserted that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, held in Saudi Arabia, represented an important development on the way to ending the war.

“I want to thank Saudi Arabia, but in particular, we have to thank Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for hosting these historic talks and talks that went very, very well,” Trump said.

The US President added: “We gotta get that war over with. You have to see the people that are dying... It’s young people from Russia and Ukraine mostly that are just being decimated.”

“Country of Peace”

Trump’s speech comes as his administration seeks to strengthen ties with its trusted partner in the Middle East, and on the eve of US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia.

“Country of peace,” read a hashtag accompanying some social media posts about the Tuesday talks from government and state media accounts, according to The New York Times. Others had a hashtag calling the Kingdom “capital of world decisions.”

Meeting Trump’s handpicked envoys in Riyadh on Monday night, Prince Mohammed told them: “We would be more than glad to work with you and with President Trump and his administration. I believe we can achieve positive things, for Saudi Arabia and for many countries around the world.”

The US-Russian talks were attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Meanwhile, Trump has intensified criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

“I love Ukraine, but Zelenskiy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump-Putin Summit

Trump has said the Kingdom was chosen for his potential first meeting with Putin since returning to the White House because of the two presidents’ relationship with Prince Mohammed.

The US President proposed the country in his phone call last week with Putin as a venue, according to Dmitri Peskov, Putin’s spokesman.

“We know the Crown Prince, and I think it’d be a very good place to be,” Trump said last week.

The Times mentioned the Saudi and US relationship demonstrated in late January, when Prince Mohammed told Trump that Riyadh intended to bolster its investment and trade with the United States by at least $600 billion over the next four years.