RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday commended what it described as the heroic role of the country’s armed forces in defending the Kingdom and protecting its resources from Iranian attacks.
During their meeting in Jeddah, ministers also praised the successful efforts to restore production at several energy facilities affected by the strikes, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The quick recovery demonstrated the operational flexibility and crisis-management skills within the nation’s energy sector, they added, ensuring the reliability and continuity of supplies to local and global markets.
The Cabinet firmly rejected any violations of state sovereignty, or threats to regional security and stability. It also strongly condemned attacks launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi Arabia and other regional states, and emphasized the important need for the Iraqi government to address these threats in a responsible manner.
Saudi Arabia is one of 10 countries in the Gulf and wider region that have been targeted by Tehran and its regional proxies since the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28.
Last Wednesday, the US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire agreement in the regional conflict. However, subsequent high-level peace talks between the two sides in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend ended in deadlock, with no agreement over Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programs, or control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for international shipping that remains largely blocked by the Iranians.
In other business, ministers hailed the launch of the domestically developed Shams satellite by the Saudi Space Agency during NASA’s Artemis II mission this month, the first such achievement by an Arab nation.
They described the project as “a new achievement in the field of space exploration” for the Kingdom, and an example of the nation’s innovation and scientific creativity.
The Cabinet highlighted several successful national projects and initiatives, including the third Umrah and Ziyarah Forum, which took place in March at the King Salman International Convention Center in Madinah.
It also welcomed the planting of more than 159 million trees as part of the Saudi Green Initiative, and the completion of the rehabilitation of the first million hectares (10,000 sq. km) of degraded land.
