Cairo: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz today accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and threatening the flow of global energy supplies.
“The whole world has seen the Iranian regime’s exploitation of international efforts to increase its expansionist activity, building its terrorist networks and the use of terrorism,” he said in an online address to the UN General Assembly.
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The Saudi king cited Iranian attacks on Saudi oil facilities last year and Tehran’s support for Al Houthi militia in Yemen locked in a devastating war against the internationally recognised government.
“This regime does not care about stability of the world economy and security of oil supplies to the global markets, and continues through its proxies to target the kingdom with ballistic missiles,” he added.
In recent weeks, Al Houthis have fired dozens of missiles and explosive drones towards neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Sponsorship of terrorism
King Salman urged the world community to adopt a “firm” stance to radically tackle Iran’s attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, its meddling in other countries’ affairs and sponsorship of terrorism.
“The kingdom will not be lax in defending its national security and will not give up standing with the brotherly Yemeni people until they restore their full sovereignty and independence from the Iranian hegemony.”
The Saudi king also renewed his country’s backing for peace-making, saying peace is a strategic option.
“We also back the current US administration’s efforts to establish peace in the Middle East through having the Palestinian and Israeli sides sitting at the negotiating table to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement,” he added, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.
Global efforts
Referring to the global new coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said that this “major challenge” has highlighted the need for concerted efforts.
He added that Saudi Arabia, as the current president of the Group of 20, goes ahead with mobilizing global efforts to tackle the economic and humanitarian repercussions of the pandemic.
The Saudi monarch noted that in March his country pledged at a virtual G-20 summit to offer 500 million dollars to support efforts against the coronavirus and consolidate response to emergencies.
