Riyadh: The Nuclear Agreement Appears to Have Effective Enforcement Guarantees

The Saudi Foreign Minister stated that the Vienna nuclear agreement seems to have effective enforcement guarantees to deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but Riyadh remains concerned about Tehran's support for regional 'terrorism.' Adel al-Jubeir's remarks on Thursday, July 1, came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's visit to Saudi Arabia to reassure Riyadh about the Vienna nuclear agreement. During his visit to Riyadh, Ashton Carter met with the King and the Saudi Foreign Minister, stating that Saudi officials supported the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. The Saudi Foreign Minister now corroborates these statements, saying that the Vienna nuclear agreement has both effective monitoring mechanisms and provisions for reinstating sanctions if Iran fails to comply with its commitments. According to Agence France-Presse, Adel al-Jubeir stated, 'The United States has assured us about this agreement, and we are currently consulting with the U.S. government regarding the details of this agreement. Overall, it seems that these objectives have been achieved.' The nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which limits Iran's nuclear activities, ended 12 years of disputes over this issue. In return for its actions, Iran will resume its trade relations with the world and will have access to billions of dollars of its blocked oil revenues due to the lifting of sanctions. Adel al-Jubeir reiterated his country's position that Iran should use the opportunity of this agreement to develop its domestic affairs and not create issues for the region, as this would be dealt with 'severely.' Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab countries accuse Iran of interfering in the affairs of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.