Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says his country
is ok with the United States
is ok with the United States
Last Tuesday during an appearance on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel Bin Ahmed AL-Jubeir told host Wolf Blitzer that there is no rift between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
AL-Jubeir said, “We have, uh, we don’t have confidence in Iran. We have confidence in the United States.”
Saudi Arabia is one of the United States’ Middle Eastern allies, and questions about whether the relationship has become frail were raised after the P5 + 1 group negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran.
Saudi leaders voiced their concerns that the deal plus the tense relationship that Iran has with the neighboring countries could lead to a destabilization of the Middle East.
The foreign minister told Blitzer that he doesn’t believe Iran has changed its ways for the better, and that Iran’s past actions of taking over of the U.S. Embassy, the murder of French soldiers in Lebanon, and Iran’s housing of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s son is evidence of the fact that Iran will not change.
Blitzer questioned whether AL-Jubeir views about Iran are personal considering the fact that an Iranian operative tried to assassinate him [AL-Jubeir] in Washington D.C.
The foreign minister responded that he was there for the people of Saudi Arabia and not his own interest: “Wolf, I’ve said before when you asked me about this question that this is not personal. This is not about me. This is about my nation. This is about my region.”
Due to the intensity of the situation, there are some concerns that Saudi Arabia will try to get a nuclear weapon from Pakistan. AL-Jubeir would not confirm whether that is a route his country is taking.
For their part, Iran denies all claims. In an op-ed for the New York Times, Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Saudis are trying to project their image onto Iran; and that it is Saudi Arabia that harbors terrorists and launches attacks against foreign leaders.
Zarif wrote, “Saudi Arabia seems to fear that the removal of the smoke screen of the nuclear issue will expose the real global threat: its active sponsorship of violent extremism-The Saudi leadership must now make a choice: They can continue supporting extremists and promoting sectarian hatred; or they can opt to play a constructive role in promoting regional stability.”
AL-Jubeir said, “We have, uh, we don’t have confidence in Iran. We have confidence in the United States.”
Saudi Arabia is one of the United States’ Middle Eastern allies, and questions about whether the relationship has become frail were raised after the P5 + 1 group negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran.
Saudi leaders voiced their concerns that the deal plus the tense relationship that Iran has with the neighboring countries could lead to a destabilization of the Middle East.
The foreign minister told Blitzer that he doesn’t believe Iran has changed its ways for the better, and that Iran’s past actions of taking over of the U.S. Embassy, the murder of French soldiers in Lebanon, and Iran’s housing of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s son is evidence of the fact that Iran will not change.
Blitzer questioned whether AL-Jubeir views about Iran are personal considering the fact that an Iranian operative tried to assassinate him [AL-Jubeir] in Washington D.C.
The foreign minister responded that he was there for the people of Saudi Arabia and not his own interest: “Wolf, I’ve said before when you asked me about this question that this is not personal. This is not about me. This is about my nation. This is about my region.”
Due to the intensity of the situation, there are some concerns that Saudi Arabia will try to get a nuclear weapon from Pakistan. AL-Jubeir would not confirm whether that is a route his country is taking.
For their part, Iran denies all claims. In an op-ed for the New York Times, Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Saudis are trying to project their image onto Iran; and that it is Saudi Arabia that harbors terrorists and launches attacks against foreign leaders.
Zarif wrote, “Saudi Arabia seems to fear that the removal of the smoke screen of the nuclear issue will expose the real global threat: its active sponsorship of violent extremism-The Saudi leadership must now make a choice: They can continue supporting extremists and promoting sectarian hatred; or they can opt to play a constructive role in promoting regional stability.”
comments powered by Disqus