Saudi Arabia is ‘beacon of light against Iran’

Manama: Saudi Arabia and key ally Bahrain said on Saturday that Gulf states are playing a critical role in maintaining stability in the Middle East by combating Iran’s “vision of darkness”.

“We are now dealing with two visions in the Middle East. One is a (Saudi) vision of light ... One is a (Iranian) vision of darkness which seeks to spread sectarianism throughout the region,” Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told a security summit in Bahrain.

“History tells us that light always wins out against the dark ... The question is how do we defeat them.”

Jubeir said ties between Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, and the United States are “ironclad” and praised what he described as the “rational, realistic” foreign policy of the current US administration.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was killed during a fist fight at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Saudi Arabia has arrested 18 persons in connection with the killing.

President Donald Trump has said he wants to get to the bottom of the Khashoggi case, while also highlighting Riyadh’s role as an ally against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major purchaser of US arms.