As Iran hails a historic deal, Saudi Arabia looks on with anxiety and irritation | World news | The Guardian

As Iran hails a historic deal, Saudi Arabia looks on with anxiety and irritation | World news | The Guardian:

"Saudi Arabia has never formally objected to the international deal restricting Iran’s nuclear programme and ending sanctions. But it watched with anxiety and irritation as Barack Obama pursued the historic agreement, complaining of the appeasement of an untrustworthy enemy at the expense of a loyal American ally.

Billions of dollars were wiped off Saudi and other Gulf stocks the moment the Islamic republic returned to world oil markets – at time when low prices are taking a heavy toll on the Saudis and forcing them to undertake unprecedented economic reforms. Their larger fear is that Iran, flush with new revenues, will be emboldened to intensify its activities across an already violent and unstable Middle East.

 “Every country in the world is worried about this,” Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, said last week as sanctions were set to lift. “Iran’s record has been one of war and destruction, terrorism, destabilisation, interference in the affairs of other countries and the concern ... is that Iran not use these funds in order to fund destabilisation activities, but instead use the funds to improve the wellbeing of its people.”"



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