Saudi Arabia wants Iran nuclear talks revived

ALBAWABA - Saudi Arabia wants world powers led by the United States to revive talks with Iran until a deal is concluded on its nuclear file.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud asserted that the kingdom sought a revival of the nuclear deal, long in fits-and-starts since last March, when it looked increasingly unlikely that Tehran would reach a deal with the U.S., western powers, plus Russia and China.

He spoke at a World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.

Arab countries and much of the other predominantly Sunni governments across the Middle East are concerned that Shiite Muslim Iran could potentially acquire nuclear technology to ultimately become militarily more superior to its neighbors, achieving what many see as Tehran's growing influence in the region.

Israel, on the other hand, has been outspoken against Iran's nuclear ambition, fearing that the country would do good on its old threat to eradicate it from the map of the Mideast.

The Saudi Minister cautioned that failure to conclude a nuclear agreement with Iran will have the region slip into a very dangerous phase that will force Gulf Arab countries to shore up their security, according to the Saudi Gazette.

“If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off,” he added in comments that heavily trended on social media, with posts, retweets and images. 

The Saudi minister said although Riyadh remained "skeptical" about a nuclear deal with Iran, it supported efforts to revive the pact "on condition that it be a starting point, not an end point" for a stronger deal with Tehran.

Al Saud pointed out that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors need more "tangible assurances" that it would not seek to acquire nuclear weapons, according to Anadolu.