At UN, Saudi king refrains from criticizing Israel normalization deals

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman uses his speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to stress his country’s Islamic roots and slam Iran.

He refrains from criticizing the recent deals struck by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish ties with Israel, but stresses the kingdom remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative that offers Israel full ties with Arab states in exchange for concessions that lead to a Palestinian state. He also says Saudi Arabia welcomes US efforts at resolving the crisis.

He says the Middle East has been suffering from major political and security challenges, blaming Iran for much of the region’s instability. He accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon of sowing the political disarray that has been ultimately blamed for the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port last month.

He says Saudi Arabia has tried to extend its hand over the years to Iran, “but to no avail.” He blames Iran for targeting Saudi oil facilities last year, saying: “It demonstrated that this regime has total disregard for the stability of the global economy or stability of oil supplies to international markets.”

— AP