Saudi Arabia Says It Backs US Efforts To Stop Iran From Getting Nukes

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with his Saudi counterpart in Washington, in 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with his Saudi counterpart in Washington, in 2021

Saudi Arabia's government expressed on Tuesday its support for "US efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," state news agency SPA reported.

The government also thanked the US for supporting the kingdom defending its territory against attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, SPA said, citing a statement issued after a cabinet meeting.

Negotiations on a new nuclear accord with Iran are underway in Vienna amid growing Western fears about Tehran's accelerating nuclear advances, seen by Western powers as irreversible unless a deal is struck soon.

Saudi Arabia, along with Israel, opposed the 2015 nuclear agreement, JCPOA, and supported former US president Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from it in 2018. So far, Riyadh had not particularly endorsed the Biden Administration's decision to return to the agreement and the talks in Vienna.

State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said on Monday that the current rounds of talks "is the final decisive stage", adding that “we are going to be a bit more circumspect in terms of progress."