News / Foreign Policy

UK PM, Bin Salman discuss confronting Iran

Sunday, 03 June 2018 5:53 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 03 June 2018 5:57 PM ]

UK Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman pose for photographs outside 10 Downing Street, London, March 7, 2018. (file photo)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and British Prime Minister Theresa May have discussed possible ways of confronting Iran and its growing role in the Middle East.

May's office said Sunday that the two leaders agreed over the phone on the need to tackle what they call “Iranian destabilizing activity” in the region.

“As part of this the Prime Minister noted the importance of cooperation between their two countries to protect Saudi Arabia from ballistic missile attacks," the statement added.

More than three years after waging a deadly war against the people of its impoverished southern neighbor Yemen, the Riyadh regime has been unable to stop a barrage of ballistic missile attacks by Yemeni army and popular forces that have successfully hit targets deep in their territories.

Outraged by their defeat against Yemen’s domestically developed missiles, Saudi rulers and their Western allies have repeatedly accused Iran of providing missile technology to the Houthi Ansarullah Movement, a militia group that took over from Yemen’s former corrupt government in 2015.

This is while Yemen’s main marital and aerial gateways have been under a tight blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies over the course of the war.

May and Bin Salman also discussed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which has been recently undermined by US President Donald Trump’s pullout.

Saudi Arabia and Israel have been two of the main critics of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

PressTV-Saudi voices support for Trump's JCPOA departure

Saudi Arabia says it "supports and welcomes" US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The UK, France, China, Russia and Germany are the other signatories who have expressed firm support for the JCPOA despite the US pullout.

During her conversation with the Saudi prince, May once again voiced her country’s commitment to saving the deal.

Oil market

May and Bin Salman also exchanged views on the global oil market amid speculation that Saudi Arabia, as the world's top oil exporter, and top producer Russia are likely to boost output. This has put downward pressures on oil prices.

"Prime Minister May and the crown prince noted the importance of stability in the oil markets, which they said was in the interests of both consumers and producers," the statement added.

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