Saudi Arabia: Gulf states must be consulted in US nuclear deal with Iran

Manama: The Gulf states must be fully consulted if a US nuclear agreement with Iran is revived, Saudi Arabia said Saturday, warning it is the only path towards a sustainable agreement.

“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.

On December 2, Iran's top political chamber gave final approval to a bill forcing President Hassan Rouhani to end international nuclear inspections unless the US lifts key sanctions by February, giving the incoming Biden administration just weeks to make a diplomatic breakthrough.

The powerful Guardian Council, a political and legal body made up of senior clerics and scholars, ratified the bill on Tuesday and made it a legal requirement, while extending the deadline for sanctions relief to two months, instead of one, Iranian state TV reported.