Dubai: Ambassador of Saudi Arabia United Nations Said that the state wants more important talks with Iran But Tehran was still spending its time and “playing the game” in the discussions.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, of the region Sunni Muslim and the Shia powerhouse, launched direct talks this year, at a time when global powers are trying to salvage a nuclear deal with Tehran and as UN-led efforts to end the Yemen war stall.
The state, which broke ties with Tehran in 2016, described talks as cordial but exploratory, while in October an Iranian official said they had gone a “good distance”.
Riyadh’s UN Envoy Abdullah Al-Moualimi Saudi newspaper Arab News said in a video interview published on Monday that no major results had been achieved.
“We want to push these discussions to more important issues, including the behavior of the Iranian government in the region,” Moulimi said.
“But as long as the Iranians continue to play the game with these talks, they are not going to go anywhere,” he said. “The people of Iran take a long-term approach to these talks. We are not interested in talks for talks.”
Tensions between the two foes escalated in 2019 after attacks on Saudi oil plants, which Riyadh blamed on Iran, an accusation Tehran denies, and continued to simmer over Yemen where a Saudi-led coalition from the Iran-aligned Houthi group is battling.
“It (Yemen) has proved distasteful only because Houthis continue to receive uninterrupted supplies of arms and ammunition from its beneficiaries, especially Iran,” Moulimi, reiterating an allegation that both Iran and the group denies.
The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran, who are vying for influence across the region.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, of the region Sunni Muslim and the Shia powerhouse, launched direct talks this year, at a time when global powers are trying to salvage a nuclear deal with Tehran and as UN-led efforts to end the Yemen war stall.
The state, which broke ties with Tehran in 2016, described talks as cordial but exploratory, while in October an Iranian official said they had gone a “good distance”.
Riyadh’s UN Envoy Abdullah Al-Moualimi Saudi newspaper Arab News said in a video interview published on Monday that no major results had been achieved.
“We want to push these discussions to more important issues, including the behavior of the Iranian government in the region,” Moulimi said.
“But as long as the Iranians continue to play the game with these talks, they are not going to go anywhere,” he said. “The people of Iran take a long-term approach to these talks. We are not interested in talks for talks.”
Tensions between the two foes escalated in 2019 after attacks on Saudi oil plants, which Riyadh blamed on Iran, an accusation Tehran denies, and continued to simmer over Yemen where a Saudi-led coalition from the Iran-aligned Houthi group is battling.
“It (Yemen) has proved distasteful only because Houthis continue to receive uninterrupted supplies of arms and ammunition from its beneficiaries, especially Iran,” Moulimi, reiterating an allegation that both Iran and the group denies.
The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran, who are vying for influence across the region.
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