Riyadh proposing to mediate between Iran, West

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has said that his country is ready to convince Iran to accept a new nuclear agreement with Western countries.

His remarks came in conjunction with the ongoing nuclear negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The negotiations have not scored any successes so far, failing to convince the US to return to an agreement, from which it withdrew in May 2018.

The success of the talks with Iran may open the door for the lifting of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Prince Mohammed confirmed that his country is ready for dialogue with Tehran as a neighbor of the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, he said, is ready to talk with Iran which may herald a bright future for the two countries.

He told the American newspaper, Atlantic, in an interview that was published on March 3 that Riyadh does not want to see a weak nuclear deal.

"This will eventually lead to a nuclear bomb, something which Saudi Arabia and the world do not want," the Saudi crown prince said.

He warned against the possession of nuclear bombs by any country.

"We do not want to see a deal that is weak because it will eventually lead to the same result," Prince Mohammed said.

Saudi Arabia has always announced its readiness for dialogue with Iran, provided that the Iranian regime changes its negative behavior, whether in the region or around the world.

Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, said his country was interested in holding talks with the Iranian regime.

He added, however, that this would be conditional on Iran changing its regional conduct.

Farhan revealed, meanwhile, that Riyadh had held talks with Washington on several issues, including, Iran's activities and its obstruction of maritime navigation.

"The administration of US President, Joe Biden, assured the kingdom that it would sign a nuclear agreement with Iran," the Saudi foreign minister said.

He added that Washington had asked his country to rearrange its cards with Tehran.