Riyadh Presses US to Cooperate on Iran Nuclear Deal 

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday insisted Washington consult Riyadh before entering negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. While he expressed confidence in President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration and said his country was “ready to engage” the new White House, Prince Faisal explained that cooperation on the Iranian issue was essential. “Not involving the regional countries results in a build-up of mistrust,” he said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 agreement signed by Iran and the five permanent United Nations Security Council members and Germany, which was negotiated by former President Barack Obama’s administration. Biden has signaled that he will attempt to renegotiate and re-enter the deal which President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018, in an effort to curb Iran’s accelerating nuclear buildup.