Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said in a recent interview that the Kingdom does not want to see a weak Iran nuclear deal from the Democrat Biden administration because its going to “end up with the same conclusion” as the previous deal, which he said would lead to Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
“On March 3, 2022, the U.S. monthly The Atlantic published a lengthy article by Graeme Wood on Saudi Arabia, which included excerpts from two interviews he had held with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman,” the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported. “A full transcript of the interviews published in Saudi papers reveals that The Atlantic had reported only a small part of the statements made by Bin Salman in the interviews, making no mention at all of his comments on several topics.”
The news comes as Iran nuclear talks broke down on Friday with no agreement, throwing the future of the talks into uncertainty as Russia is demanding that the West soften sanctions that have been enacted against it due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The full transcript was published by the English-language daily Saudi Gazette, which included Salman’s remarks about the Iran nuclear deal that the Biden administration is working on.
Salman had the following exchange with The Atlantic:
The Atlantic: Some Saudi citizens think this was a kind of Cold War between the countries. They were afraid of what might happen to them, or their families, if they spoke in favor of Qatar. How do you think it feels to them to suddenly see this warmth, as if the relationship is fixed? It seems like a big change.
The Crown Prince I don’t want to talk about negative things. We are over it. Today we have unbelievable, amazing relations with Qatar. Sheikh Tamimi’s an amazing person, an amazing leader. Same goes for the other GCC leaders. Our aim and focus is on how to build a great future. we are very, very close. And it’s like, we are better than ever in history.
The Atlantic: The other big question, obviously, is whether you think you have a more positive relationship with Iran. That’s not a family fight. They’re not in the GCC.
The Crown Prince: They are neighbors. Neighbors forever. We cannot get rid of them, and they can’t get rid of us. So it’s better for both of us to work it out and to look for ways in which we can coexist. And we had a four-rounds of negotiation. We heard statements from Iranian leaders which we welcome in Saudi Arabia. And we are going to continue through the details of the negotiation. Hopefully, we can reach a position that’s good for both countries and is going to create a brighter future for this country and Iran.
The Atlantic: But you’d rather have a nuclear deal than no nuclear deal?
The Crown Prince: Well, I believe any country around the world that has a nuclear bomb—that’s dangerous, regardless if it’s Iran or any other country. So we don’t want to see that. And also, we don’t want to see a weak nuclear deal, because that’s going to end up with the same conclusion.