Saudi Arabia’s King Salman called US President Barack Obama on Monday to express his regret at not being able to travel to Washington this week to attend a meeting between leaders of Persian Gulf Arab states and the US president, which is expected to focus on a prospective nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers and the Islamic Republic’s regional role. He confirmed that he was sending Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to represent the kingdom, according to a press release posted on the website of the White House.
The president and Salman reviewed the agenda for the upcoming meetings and agreed on the necessity of working closely, along with other member states of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council, to build a collective capacity to address more effectively the range of threats facing the region and to resolve regional conflicts.
They also discussed the importance of a comprehensive agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) that verifiably ensures the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran denies its nuclear program may have any military objectives, saying the work is solely for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity.
Elsewhere, Obama welcomed Saudi Arabia’s announcement of a ceasefire and humanitarian pause in Yemen and both leaders agreed on the need to address the urgent humanitarian situation in the country.
