RIYADH: Saudi Arabia does not target Iran with missiles and through militias and therefore the Islamic Republic should stop doing the same, the Kingdom's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said at a press conference in Hungary on Friday.
Al-Jubeir added that the Iranian people are “historically moderate,” but that the regime had “hijacked the country.”
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Al-Jubeir said sanctions had been imposed on Iran “because of its behavior in the region,” not because of Saudi Arabia's wishes.
As US President Donald Trump prepares to host Israeli leaders in Washington to reveal details of his long-delayed Middle East peace plan, Al-Jubeir said the Kingdom “has no relations with Israel and is committed to a two-state solution, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.”
He added that Saudi Arabia does not want war in Yemen and is seeking a political solution.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said “Iran wants to export the revolution” and has “an expansionist ideology.”
In a televised interview with VICE Media that will air on Al Arabiya on Friday evening, Prince Khalid added: “Iran wants other states in the region not to be partners, but to be under the Iranian expansionist project. And this is a big difference; we have Vision 2030 that is moving us forward, and they have vision 1979 that is trying to move the region and Saudi Arabia backward.”
He also said Iran and its militias threaten security in the region.
