DUBAI: Saudi Arabia, a Gulf rival of Iran, wants Iranian President-elect Hassan Rowhani to seek stability in the Middle East and avoid interfering in other states’ affairs, a Saudi official was quoted as saying yesterday.
“If that is what Rowhani aims for, then we support him and bless this position,” Al Watan newspaper quoted Foreign Ministry undersecretary Prince Turki bin Mohammed as saying.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a leading Sunni Muslim power, has tense ties with Shia Iran, notably over the war in Syria, where they back opposing sides, political unrest in Bahrain and the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
On Monday, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia congratulated Rowhani on his election victory and hailed what he described as the moderate cleric’s wish to improve relations between the two nations.
Rowhani has held out the prospect of forging better ties between Iran and the world, including the United States, and progress on resolving the nuclear dispute.
Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia favoured “normal relations with Iran based on mutual respect and non-interference in the affairs of other states and the maintenance of security and stability of other states”, Al Watan reported.
The West believes Iran is covertly seeking a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran says its atomic programme has only peaceful purposes. The United States and the European Union tightened financial and trade sanctions on Iran last year, forcing sharp cuts to its oil exports and damaging its economy. REUTERS
