Saudi Arabia says it is satisfied with assurances from Washington over the Iran nuclear deal following President Obama’s meeting with King Salman. The concerned parties have generally not yielded a life saving support. The meeting, Obama noted, was taking place at a “challenging time in world affairs, particularly in the Middle East”. He said that the United States shares a common factor with Saudi Arabia; the desire for an functioning, inclusive government in Yemen to relieve the Arab country from the humanitarian crisis.
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“We continue to cooperate extremely closely in countering terrorist activities in the region and around the world, including the battle against ISIS”, Obama said on Friday.
The divisions in Washington serve as a backdrop as Mr. Obama tries to shore up U.S.-Saudi relations, which have been bruised by a host of factors during recent years, including Riyadh’s criticism of the administration’s withdrawal from the Middle East just as the region faced turmoil from the Arab Spring uprisings that began in 2011. In war-torn Syria, the United States and Saudi Arabia have never agreed on whether the ouster of the Assad regime or the containment of ISIS should be the main objective. Rather, they would like to see the Saudis invest more in relatively low-priced weapons and training that can counter the unconventional threats posed by Iran and its proxies, such as the Lebanon-based Shiite militant movement Hezbollah.
Salman, who ascended the throne in January, does not mind displacing commoners for his own comforts; this summer, during a trip to the French Riviera, his eight-day stay forced the closure of a popular beach, enraging locals.
Congress will soon consider a resolution of disapproval of the final package reached by the USA, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russian Federation and Iran in July, but Senate Democrats have enough votes to prevent the Republican-led measure’s success.
Cardin’s transfer does not have an effect on the last word outcome for the worldwide accord to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in change for aid from financial sanctions.
King Salman, in brief remarks through an interpreter, characterised his visit as symbolic of the deep ties between the allies.
“We have looked at the details of this agreement and we have come to the conclusion that this does in fact meet that test”, he said.
The minister said that the Saudi-US Summit talks dealt with the Palestinian issue and stressed the importance of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. And the U.S. relies on defense contractors to fill the void created by Pentagon budget constraints, as former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb told Sputnik, adding that the Saudis have increased orders for United States missile defense systems out of fear that Iran will grow stronger militarily after nuclear sanctions are lifted.
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The Saudi officials said the king sought a written agreement from Obama stating that the U.S. is “prepared to defend against any attempt that threatens the security” of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a coalition of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman.
