ISLAMABAD: Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said on Tuesday no mediation efforts were underway between Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions in the region.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have also been running high since President Donald Trump withdrew from a deal between world powers and Iran that aimed to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. US sanctions have slashed Iranian oil exports.

“It is the responsibility of the Iranian regime to change its behavior and show good intentions rather than words,” Al-Jubeir said at a lecture at the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (Chatham House) in London, in comments reported by SPA, the Saudi state news agency.

Al-Jubeir accused Iran of being behind an attack on two Aramco oil facilities last month, saying that “Iran does not respect the sovereignty of states or international law.”

He also praised the “strong international position” taken by most European countries and the United States toward Iran, stressing that “Iranian actions have become a threat to the interests and security of countries in the region.”

On Yemen where efforts are underway to end a power struggle between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and southern separatists, Al-Jubeir stressed that the Kingdom supported a political solution: “There is an international dialogue on Yemen with a view to reaching a peaceful solution to the crisis.”

On the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, the Saudi crown prince’s ambitious plan to overhaul the economy of Saudi Arabia, Al-Jubeir said the Kingdom was pursuing a deliberate plan to achieve the objectives of the vision, which was based on supporting innovation, encouraging young people and promoting new economic sectors such as manufacturing, mining, tourism and maritime transport. 

“The empowerment of women was at the forefront of the vision’s goals, as they now have the right to drive and travel without a permit, in addition to their involvement in the labor market,” the minister said.