Saudi Arabia must be included in nuclear deal discussion

Riyadh – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia made his view very clear that the ongoing discussions in Vienna on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles need to be handled more effectively and seriously. He urged that neighbouring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran threatens, be included in the dialogue. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has warned that any attack on the Arab League or a threat to its security would be considered an attack or threat to other Arab countries.

An emergency meeting of GCC member states was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The meeting, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was attended by heads of state from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman. Discussions were focused on Iran’s nuclear program and the threat posed to the Gulf region by terrorist organisations affiliated with Iran. The GCC members have criticised Iran for not being serious about the discussions in Vienna with the United States and the European Union for the past three weeks. ‘The issue of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles needs to be given due importance and addressed very seriously to establish security and stability on the regional and international levels,’ said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Following the GCC meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan criticised the ongoing talks held in Vienna. He expressed that the Arab countries are concerned with the ongoing discussion and are not optimistic about the outcome. The Saudi foreign minister mentioned that Iran is not yielding and maintaining its stubborn position.

GCC President Naif al-Hazaraf has warned Iran and Iran-linked terrorist groups in the Middle East that an attack on any one of the six-member states of the GCC or any threat to their security would be considered an attack on the GCC and would be met with retaliation. Attacks on Saudi by the Houthi rebels from Yemen were mentioned at the GCC meeting. Hazaraf also called on the GCC countries to continue to show solidarity against the attacks by the Houthi rebels.

Meanwhile, as the Biden administration moves closer to a nuclear deal with Iran, it is evident in the GCC meeting that the Arab countries are united against Iran. At the same time, Saudi Arabia appears to be trying to put pressure on the Biden administration by demanding that it wants to be included in the talks with Iran. But the Biden administration is unlikely to take cognisance of the demand.