KSA Denounces Iran’s Aggressive Statements
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir
RIYADH: Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has denounced “aggressive statements” by Iran, after Tehran accused Bahrain of stoking Gulf tensions by making unfounded allegations against it.
“This is unacceptable to us,” the minister said at a joint news conference with visiting EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Riyadh on Monday..
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham accused Bahrain of making “unfounded allegations” aimed at creating “tension in the region,” after the Interior Ministry in Manama said it had detained two men accused of trying to smuggle weapons from Iran.
“This does not represent the intentions of a country seeking good relations,” Al-Jubeir said of the Iranian statements. “These statements are escalating and they are many.”
Mogherini asserted that a strong political will is required from Iran to comply with concerns being raised for regional dynamics and stability in the region. She said that Saudi Arabia and the EU share common views on regional issues, such as Palestine, Syria, Yemen and the fight against Daesh. “We discussed all these issues during our talks here in Riyadh,” she said.
On Tuesday, Mogherini flies to Iran to discuss implementation of the July 14 Vienna agreement that seeks to curb any Iranian attempt to get an atomic bomb.
The European Union played a leading role in years of talks between Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, Germany and Iran. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the deal last week.
The accord requires Iran to curb its nuclear capabilities including the number of uranium centrifuges.
International monitors will supervise the process, and in exchange an embargo that has crippled Iran’s economy will be eased.
The deal would see Iran’s oil exports gradually resume and billions of dollars in frozen assets unblocked.
Last week, Al-Jubeir said the agreement appeared to have effective safeguards, including an inspection mechanism as well as a provision to reinstate sanctions if world powers feel Iran has not met its commitments.
But, he said, Tehran’s support for regional “terrorism” remained a concern.