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Saudis Warn Biden: ‘We must be consulted on Iran nuclear deal’

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Biden has said he would be willing to reinstate the agreement from which President Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Saudi Arabia warned U.S. president-elect Joe Biden that the kingdom, along with the other Gulf nations, must be consulted if Biden plans to re-enter into the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal.

Biden has said he would be willing to reinstate the agreement from which President Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018.

“Primarily what we expect is that we are fully consulted, that we and our other regional friends are fully consulted in what goes on vis-a-vis the negotiations with Iran,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told AFP at a security conference in Manama, Bahrain on Saturday.

“I think we’ve seen as a result of the after-effects of the JCPOA that not involving the regional countries results in a build up of mistrust and neglect of the issues of real concern and of real effect on regional security,” he added.

When asked about Biden’s campaign trail promise to make Saudi Arabia into a global “pariah” for its human rights abuses, Prince Faisal demurred.

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“I think electioneering brings out all kinds of comments, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

In November, Tehran said Saudi Arabia was attempting to scapegoat Iran for its own benefit.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s ambassador and representative to the UN, launched a series of blistering attacks against the Gulf kingdom on Twitter, writing that “scapegoating and fear mongering are two common and classic methods used by demagogues.”

Gharibabadi claimed that Saudi Arabia was overexaggerating the threat from Iranian nuclear development in an attempt to justify launching a Saudi nuclear program.

“If you want to pursue a nuclear weapon program, or you are seeking an excuse to justify your lack of cooperation with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] or your outdated safeguard system, at least have the courage to admit it and pay the price for it,” he wrote.

“Don’t blame your wrongdoings on others by lies.”