Israel praises Saudi foreign minister for tough stance on Iran

Israel's foreign ministry this week tweeted comments from Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir criticising Iran, in another display of warming ties between the two countries.

On its official Arabic-language Twitter account, the Israeli foreign ministry reposted a link to al-Jubeir speaking at a joint press conference with the US on Monday, which called for the extension of a UN arms embargo on Iran.

The original tweet quotes Jubeir as saying: "Iran is the first country to support terrorism across the globe."

The Israeli account tweeted in agreement, saying: "Iran, the source of terrorism, has penetrated four Arab countries: Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq and created quagmires of corruption, not [to] mention sowing chaos and putting neighbouring countries at risk... With increased sanctions, these Mullahs are in a hurry."

"Iran is the enemy of all of us," it added.

Saudi Arabia does not yet have full diplomatic ties with Israel. However, several Gulf states - which share Israel's enmity towards Iran - have made a number of moves hinting at warmer ties with its former sworn enemy.

Riyadh has officially denied normalisation with Israel and dismissed reports that its crown prince had plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, something that would be hugely unpopular in the kingdom.

Twitter Post

Al-Jubeir spoke alongside US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in Riyadh on Monday, while Saudi officials displayed remnants of intercepted missiles and drones allegedly supplied by Iran to Yemen's Houthi rebels.

"Iran seeks to provide weapons to terrorist organisations. What will happen if the embargo is lifted?" Jubeir said.

"Iran will become more... aggressive," he added.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned last week of a return of UN sanctions on Iran if the Security Council fails to extend an embargo.

France, the UK and Germany, which all support the nuclear deal, have also said they backed extending the arms embargo.

No date has been scheduled for a vote on the resolution and it is unlikely to pass, as veto-wielding China and Russia have already spoken out against extending the embargo.

Iran agreed with major world powers in 2015 to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of punishing international sanctions.

But in 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to roll back its own commitments.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected