Saudi Arabia Says Iran's Nuclear Program Endangering Region

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday that Iran was accelerating its nuclear activities and putting the region in “a very dangerous place”.

Diplomatic efforts since April to bring Tehran back into the 2015 nuclear deal have not succeeded as Iran continues enriching uranium and getting closer to the threshold of having enough fissile material for a bomb.

Israeli, Saudi and Emirati top officials in Washington this week discussed the stalled Iran nuclear negotiations with top US officials. The US regional allies have been concerned over the Biden Administration’s plans to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), which they think is inadequate to address their concerns over Iran’s policies.

In an interview with the Financial Times earlier bin Farahan said bilateral talks between Riyadh and Tehran have been “cordial” and “exploratory”, adding that Saudi Arabia has a serious approach to the negotiations, but they have not made substantial progress and to reach a stage for normalization of relations.

Riyadh severed ties with Tehran after rioters ransacked its diplomatic mission in Iran in January 2016.

Bin Farhan gave a wide-ranging news conference in Washington on regional developments during his visit to the United States.