Saudi Arabia satisfied with Obama's assurances on Iran deal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Saudi Arabia is happy with U.S. President Barack Obama's assurances that the recent nuclear deal with Iran will not imperil the Gulf states, a senior official said, according to ABC News.

The visit is the king's first to America since ascending to the throne in January 2015, and comes after the U.S. agreed to a nuclear deal with Iran in July.

The US-Saudi relationship has suffered strain because of what Riyadh sees as Obama's withdrawal from the region, a lack of direct U.S. action against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and a perceived U.S. tilt towards Iran since the 2011 Arab uprisings.

But the countries share many strategic objectives and depend on each other on a number of core security, economic, and political issues.

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said Obama made assurances that the agreement prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, includes inspections of military and suspected sites, and has a provision for the snapback of sanctions if Iran violates the agreement.

"This agreement will contribute to security and stability in the region by preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability and we hope that the Iranians will avail themselves of this opportunity in order to use the openness to the world and the additional income that they receive to fund domestic development," he said.

"Now we have one less problem for the time being to deal with, with regards to Iran. We can now focus more intensely on the nefarious activities that Iran is engaged in in the region," he said, according to ABC News.