Saudi King Salman said the world must take decisive action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but must also tackle Tehran's ballistic missile programme and regional destabilisation.
In his speech at the opening of the eighth Shura Council session on Wednesday night, King Salman said the kingdom stood firmly against terrorism, extremism and sectarian strife in the region.
“The kingdom affirms the seriousness of the Iranian regime's regional project,” King Salman said.
“Saudi Arabia calls on the international community to take a firm stance towards Iran that guarantees to stop it from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, developing its ballistic missile programme and threatening peace and security.”
During his online address, attended by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he denounced the breach of international laws by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
King Salman said the rebels were "launching booby-trapped drones and ballistic missiles towards civilians in the kingdom".
He also “stressed the support to the brotherly Yemeni people to restore their sovereignty and independence through their legitimate authorities”.
The Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed two explosive drones launched towards the kingdom by the Houthis, state TV reported on Thursday.
It was the latest in near-weekly attacks against Saudi citizens.
King Salman’s address gave Riyadh’s views on local and regional issues, from the coronavirus pandemic to the Libyan conflict.
Covid-19 and G20
He said the kingdom had rushed to support the economy from the effects of shutdowns and loss of business.
“Your country has rushed to present government initiatives to the private sector, especially small and medium enterprises, that included more than 218 billion riyals [$58.1bn], in addition to supporting the health sector with 47bn riyals,” he said.
“Through the management of the pandemic, we have sought to continue business and balance the economic, health and social impact, and we will continue continuous evaluation until the end of the pandemic, God willing.”
King Salman said Saudi Arabia's leadership of the G20 meant it had played a central role in co-ordinating the global effort to find a vaccine, confront the global effects of the pandemic and brought world leaders together for a summit on the crisis in March.
He said he was looking forward to the next summit this month “to promote development and stimulate co-operation globally, to create a prosperous future for mankind”.
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The kingdom in pictures:
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Abundant marine life in the Red Sea. Photos: Saudi Tourism Authority -
A lone tent in Ad Dahna desert, which extends about 1,000 kilometres through Saudi Arabia -
Balloons flying over the Unesco World Heritage Site of AlUla -
The cliff formations known as 'The Edge of the World', located 100km from Riyadh -
The road to Tabuk, home to spectacular rock formations -
Madain Saleh, the first archaeological site in Saudi Arabia to join Unesco's World Heritage List -
Stunning cabins located in the wilderness of Saudi Arabia -
The region of Jazan is known for its lush greenery, which resembles the rice terraces of Bali -
The old city of Jeddah with its signature architecture -
Jeddah is known for its coastline and charm -
Jabal al-Lawz, or Louz Mountain, is located in north-west Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border, which often gets coated in snow -
The historical village of Zee Al-Ain is located in the Al Bahah province
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Oil markets
King Salman said Saudi Arabia had been working to stabilise global oil markets since the creation of Opec in 1960 and had played a "pivotal role" in recent initiatives with non-Opec members to bring market stability and the sustainability of supplies".
“The Kingdom has also worked, and is still working, to ensure the stability of oil supplies to the world in a way that serves producers and consumers alike, despite the economic conditions that the world is experiencing today due to the coronavirus pandemic and its repercussions on global oil markets,” he said.
Saudi-Iraq relations
King Salman commented on ties with Iraq after deals were signed this week to enhance co-operation.
“We also stand with Iraq and its brotherly people, and support the efforts of its government for the sake of its stability, growth and preservation of its position in its Arab surroundings, and the strengthening of relations between the two brotherly countries and co-operation in various fields through the Saudi-Iraqi Co-ordination Council,” he said.
There have been meetings this week between officials, including a call between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi and Prince Mohammed.
Afterwards, the countries said that the Arar border crossing, which has been closed for decades to commercial traffic, will reopen next week, along with a commercial consul in Baghdad.
They agreed on oil market co-operation, commercial deals and “expanding and enhancing co-operation to serve the interest of brotherly people in both countries".
Libya peace talks
As talks between Libyan sides continue in Tunis under the auspices of the UN, King Salman welcomed developments after an agreement to lay terms for an election that could end fighting between divided administrations there.
“We follow with interest the developments in Libya,” he said.
He praised "the permanent ceasefire as well as the ongoing political and military talks".
King Salman said the truce could lead to "the inauguration of a new era that achieves security, peace, sovereignty and stability for Libya”.
He also called for an end to external interference in Libyan affairs.
Palestine
The king said that Saudi Arabia stood with the Palestinian people, affirming support for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital as laid out by the Arab Peace Initiative.
“We support efforts aimed at establishing peace in the Middle East by negotiating between the Palestinian and Israeli parties to reach a just and lasting agreement,” he said.
