Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan emphasized that the Kingdom has played a crucial role behind the scenes in encouraging the United States and Iran to prioritize diplomatic solutions and avoid escalation. He stressed the continuous Saudi efforts aimed at bolstering regional stability and supporting opportunities for reaching a sustainable agreement.
During a panel discussion on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Vienna, Prince Faisal bin Farhan explained that Saudi Arabia will continue to collaborate with regional and international partners to support the creation of a nuclear agreement that includes strict verification and monitoring mechanisms ensuring full compliance with its terms.
The Saudi Foreign Minister noted that any agreement focusing solely on the nuclear aspect will not suffice for ensuring long-term stability, affirming that unresolved regional issues must be a core component of any comprehensive negotiation path. He added that realizing real progress requires working on two parallel tracks: one concerning the Iranian nuclear program talks, and the other focusing on addressing regional issues and challenges.
Regarding Saudi-Iranian relations, Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated that the past years have seen a decline in the level of relations between the two countries, noting that the current priority is rebuilding trust and repairing relations before moving to broader phases of economic and investment cooperation.
Touching on the Strait of Hormuz, the Saudi Foreign Minister affirmed that the strait's management mechanism was functioning effectively before the outbreak of war, and that the Kingdom sees no justification for making changes to the current system, stressing the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and the stability of international trade movement.
On the situations in Gaza and Lebanon, Prince Faisal bin Farhan considered the absence of a political horizon as the greatest challenge to achieving stability, clarifying that ongoing crises without a clear political path contribute to prolonging tensions and provide justification for various parties to continue armament and escalation.
The Saudi Foreign Minister concluded his remarks by asserting that all concerned parties are required to adhere to their commitments and work on finding sustainable political solutions that contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region.