Iran must not get nuclear weapons, Saudi king tells UN assembly

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz told the UN General Assembly yesterday that his kingdom supports efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“The kingdom insists on the importance of keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, on this basis we support international efforts aiming at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons,” he said in a pre-recorded video address.

“Iran is a neighboring country, and we hope that our initial talks with it will lead to concrete results to build confidence ... based on... respect of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs,” he added.

King Salman also said Yemen’s Al Houthi militants were rejecting peaceful initiatives to end the war and that Saudi Arabia would defend itself against attacks “The kingdom continues to fight extremist thinking, built on hatred, and keeping in check sectarian militias that destroy humanity and nations,” he said.