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Saudi Arabia Cautiously Welcomes Iran Nuclear Deal

by VOA News November 25, 2013

Saudi Arabia has joined other Gulf Arab states in cautiously welcoming a nuclear deal reached by their regional rival Iran and a group of world powers.

In a statement issued Monday, the Saudi government said the agreement 'could be' a first step toward a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, 'provided there is goodwill.'

Under the deal signed in Geneva on Sunday, Iran agreed to limit or freeze parts of its nuclear program for six months in return for the six world powers easing some sanctions on the Iranian economy.

The negotiations have strained relations between the kingdom and the United States in recent months.

Sunni Arab Gulf nations have long feared that Iran will divert its nuclear activities to make atomic weapons, enabling the Shi'ite-majority nation to boost its regional influence at the expense of Sunnis. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

​​​​French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday the European Union could lift some sanctions against Iran next month. But in remarks to French radio, he said any easing will be 'limited, targeted and reversible.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is sending a national security team to Washington in the coming days to consult with the Obama administration on a permanent resolution of the Iranian nuclear dispute.

Israel blasts deal

Netanyahu calls the Geneva agreement a 'historic mistake' because it allows Iran to maintain nuclear facilities that could be weaponized in the future. Israeli leaders see a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to their nation's existence because of Iran's frequent calls for Israel's demise.

Israel is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East but the two sides have disagreed about how to deal with Iran.

White House officials said President Barack Obama telephoned Netanyahu on Sunday and told the Israeli leader he wants the United States and Israel to start consultations immediately on efforts to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with Iran.

Obama told Netanyahu the U.S. remains firmly committed to Israel, which he said has good reason to be skeptical about Iran's intentions.

Monday's Saudi statement said the Geneva agreement should be followed by a comprehensive solution that 'leads to the removal of weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear, from the Middle East.' Riyadh also called for unspecified further steps to 'guarantee a right of all states in the region to use nuclear power peacefully.'

Four other Gulf states also issued statements expressing hope that the Iran nuclear deal will safeguard regional peace and stability. Those nations include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Implementation

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that his government will start implementing the steps it agreed to in the coming weeks, perhaps before the end of the year, but that all of the requirements cannot be done in one day.

He also stressed the tenuous nature of the agreement reached after months of talks between the two sides.

'All the measures that we will take, the confidence-building measures, are reversible, and they can be reversed fast. Of course, we hope we do not have to do this,' said Zarif.

Diplomats, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, are looking ahead to negotiations to come up with a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear program, which the parties want in place within a year.

'Now, the really hard part begins, and that is the effort to get the comprehensive agreement which will require enormous steps in terms of verification, transparency and accountability. We know this, we have determined to work together, we will start today, literally, to continue the efforts out of Geneva and to press forward,' said Kerry.

Long-term goals

The text of Sunday's interim agreement includes sections outlining goals for a comprehensive deal. The steps include defining Iran's enrichment program 'with practical limits' and ways to make its peaceful nature transparent. The agreement would also include the lifting of all U.N. sanctions and those imposed by individual and smaller groups of nations.

The interim deal lasts for six months and calls for Iran to neutralize its stockpile of uranium enriched to 20 percent -- a level that is a short step away from weapons-grade. It does not prohibit Iran from continuing enrichment below the five percent level.

The agreement also calls for Iran not to make further advances in building a heavy water nuclear reactor in the city of Arak. Once operational, that facility could produce plutonium, another element used to make nuclear weapons.