Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Minister of the State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Cabinet, has stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region and does not seek to do so and will do its utmost to prevent this war, while stressing that if the other side chooses war, the Kingdom will respond firmly and decisively and will defend itself and its interests. Al-Jubeir explained that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that wisdom will prevail and that the Iranian regime and its proxies will distance themselves from reckless behaviors, and will avert danger in the region, and that the Iranian regime will not lead the region to dangerous consequences. Al-Jubeir said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon the international community to take a firm stance against this regime in order to stop and prevent it from spreading destruction and chaos throughout the world. This came during a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh today, where Al-Jubeir said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the latest developments at the regional and international arenas, which are escalating because of the actions of the Iranian regime and its hostile proxies in the region. Al-Jubeir also noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirms that its hands are always extended to peace and seeks to achieve it, and believes that the peoples of the region, including the Iranian people, have the right to live in security and stability and to move towards development. "Within this framework, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responded to a distress call from an Iranian oil vessel in the Red Sea and immediately provided the necessary assistance to the vessel and its crew. The Iranian crew still receives the necessary care from the Kingdom, in compliance with its international, humanitarian and environmental responsibilities. At a time, when two Saudi oil tankers in the Arabian Gulf were attacked and two East-West Pipelines were targeted too," Al-Jubeir added. He stressed that the Iranian regime is not looking for security and stability in the region, adding that the problems in the region began since the arrival of the Iranian regime in 1979, whose constitution is based on exporting revolution and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. "The Iranian regime has directly and through its proxies sought to provoke unrest and supported terrorist and extremist groups and organizations. Over the past decades, the countries of the region have suffered from the crimes of the Iranian regime and its interventions which are too numerous to count," Al-Jubeir said, citing a number of Iranian terrorist acts against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al-Jubeir asserted that the Iranian regime can avert more dangers in the region through adhering to the international laws and charters and stopping interferences in the internal affairs of the states in the region as well as not supporting terrorist groups and militias and not developing its missiles and nuclear program. With regard to Houthi targeting of the Saudi oil facilities, Al-Jubeir affirmed that the Iran-backed Houthi militias have a clear objective to destabilize security and stability in the region while the Houthi announced its responsibility of this attack, disclosing that the Kingdom has punished the Houthi. He affirmed that the Kingdom will not allow anyone to target its security and stability, adding that the Kingdom's security and stability are a red line. Al-Jubeir stated that the two GCC and Arab summits to be held in Makkah on 30, May, 2019, will discuss the Iranian aggression and its dangerous repercussions on the regional security and stability, calling upon Iran to cease adopting such policies. With regard to the Saudi and GCC stance on deployment of US troops in the Gulf, the Minister of the State for Foreign Affairs said that the GCC states have agreements with the United States, which is an ally and friendly state, stressing the importance of maintaining the security and stability of this very important and sensitive region, which is the main source of oil, to the international economy. Regarding the Russian stance of this escalation, Al-Jubeir announced that the Russian position calls for restraint and non-escalation. "Russia has interests in the region and does not want instability in it and calls for adopting policies in line with international laws and norms and abandoning sabotage or aggressive policies or interference in the affairs of other states," Al-Jubeir concluded.
