NEW YORK: Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz took aim at Iran during his debut at the annual United Nations meeting of world leaders, calling for a comprehensive solution to contain Riyadh s regional rival and stop it from getting weapons of mass destruction.
He said Iran has exploited a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers “to intensify its expansionist activities, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism,” adding that this had produced nothing but “chaos, extremism, and sectarianism.”
“A comprehensive solution and a firm international position are required,” he told the 193-member General Assembly in a video statement that was pre-recorded due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States quit the Iran nuclear pact in 2018, with President Donald Trump dubbing it the “worst deal ever.” Washington has since imposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran and asserts that all countries also have to reinstate UN sanctions in an attempt to push the Islamic Republic to negotiate a new deal.
All the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, including longtime US allies, and 13 of the 15 UN Security Council members say the US claim on UN sanctions is void, and diplomats say few countries are likely to reimpose the measures.
“Our experience with the Iranian regime has taught us that partial solutions and appeasement did not stop its threats to international peace and security,” King Salman said.
Iran’s UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the king s remarks.
Sunni Muslim-majority Saudi Arabia and Shi ite-dominated Iran are locked in several proxy wars in the region, including in Yemen where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Tehran-aligned Houthi movement for more than five years.
Riyadh, which backs the Trump administration s efforts to counter Iran, has blamed Iran for attacks on the kingdom s oil facilities last year, a charge Tehran denies. Iran denies arming groups in the Middle East, including the Houthis, and blames regional tensions on the United States and its Gulf allies.
