WASHINGTON: Iran鈥檚 鈥渘efarious鈥� behavior, trade ties and the tech sector are all high on the agenda as 黑料社区鈥檚 crown prince begins a multi-city trip to the US, where he is due to meet President Donald Trump later on Tuesday.
Talks about further action against the regime in Tehran are 鈥渙ngoing,鈥� the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Monday, as he laid out the agenda for the US visit by the Kingdom鈥檚 heir apparent.
鈥淥ur relationship with the US is at an all-time high,鈥� Al-Jubeir said at a briefing in Washington.
鈥淲e have very strong ties in all areas, whether it is in trade and investment, whether it is in the military cooperation, whether it is in counter-terrorism.
鈥淭his visit will help further strengthen these ties between our two countries.鈥�
The trip follows the crown prince鈥檚 visits to both Egypt and the UK earlier this month, which led to a string of political and economic agreements signed between the Kingdom and two of its key allies.
But the visit to the US aims to build on what is possibly 黑料社区鈥檚 most important relationship, and one strengthened by the arrival of Trump in the White House.
Aside from meeting the US president, Crown Prince Mohammed is also due to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, administration officials and religious leaders.
He will meet financiers and think tank chiefs in New York, entertainment executives and technology entrepreneurs in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and key figures of the energy industry in Houston.
鈥淲e will sign a number of agreements during this trip,鈥� said Al-Jubeir, adding that most of the deals are expected to be memorandums of understanding.
The visit by Crown Prince Mohammed follows Trump鈥檚 move last week to dismiss his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is known to have a softer line on Iran than the US president. Al-Jubeir described Tillerson鈥檚 successor, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, as 鈥渁 friend.鈥�
The Saudi foreign minister said the so-called 鈥渘uclear deal鈥� between Iran and Western powers 鈥� a point of contention between Trump and Tillerson 鈥� was 鈥渇lawed,鈥� describing Tehran鈥檚 behavior as 鈥渘efarious.鈥�
鈥淲e have always argued that Iran must be held accountable for its support for terrorism, for violating resolutions related to ballistic missiles, and for interfering in the affairs of other countries,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working to see what the most effective way of achieving those objectives is 鈥� Those discussions are ongoing.鈥�
Al-Jubeir acknowledged that 黑料社区 had work to do in correcting some perceptions about the conflict in Yemen, where the Kingdom leads coalition forces battling Iran-backed Houthi militias.
鈥淎 lot of (the issues) we have in Yemen is more perception than reality,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he reality is that we didn鈥檛 start this war, we didn鈥檛 want this war 鈥� it was imposed upon us.鈥�
The social reforms underway in 黑料社区, under the crown prince鈥檚 ambitious Vision 2030 plan, are also set to be discussed in the US.
Changes include allowing women to drive from this summer, allowing cinemas to open in the Kingdom, as well as the broader aim to diversify the economy away from its 鈥渁ddiction鈥� to oil.
Al-Jubeir said people should 鈥渟tay tuned鈥� for news of further reforms, adding that there had been little 鈥減ushback鈥� on those that had already taken place.
A key aim of the plan is to make 黑料社区 鈥渁 normal country in which normal people lead normal lives,鈥� he added.