Iran must not have nuclear arms, Kerry assures Saudis

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

RIYADH: Iran is a destabilising force that must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Saudi Arabia Thursday, aiming to calm Riyadh's worries.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours fear Tehran might be able to develop an atomic bomb despite an international accord being drafted, which aims to prevent that.

A framework agreement between Tehran and the United States, France and other major powers limits Iran's nuclear capabilities in return for a lifting of international sanctions.

Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shia majority Iran were already divided over Syria, where Saudi Arabia backs Sunni-led rebels and Iran supports President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

But the war in Saudi Arabia's neighbour Yemen has worsened relations.

Iran has dismissed as “utter lies” accusations that it armed Yemen's Houthi rebels, which a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing since March 26.

“We made clear that we remain concerned about Iran's destabilising actions in the region,” Kerry said after talks with King Salman.

Because of those concerns “we believe that it is so important that Iran not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and we will continue to work with our friends and allies in the region,” said the US secretary of state.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday proposed a five-day ceasefire to allow aid into Yemen, if the Houthis and their allies commit to it.

“The Iranian role in Yemen has been a negative one,” with financial, ideological and weapons support, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said at a joint news conference with Kerry.

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Muhammad iqbal

May 07, 2015 08:09pm

Keeping both oil powers at war . Kerry good marketing and sales manager of pentagon

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Sunil

May 07, 2015 08:10pm

In fact no country should have nuclear weapons.

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Sunil

May 07, 2015 08:12pm

But still Iran it will get it, that too through Russia or China, who are vehemently anti-america.

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Syed Hussain Akbari

May 07, 2015 08:16pm

Why should Iran not have Nuclear Weapon ? Why should USA, Russia, India, Pakistan and so many other have Nuclear Weapon ? It remains a fact that in the matter of security as well Iran is an equally responsible or irresponsible country as all other on the globe including USA, India and Saudi Arabia etc.

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M. Emad

May 07, 2015 08:22pm

Why ?

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Anon

May 07, 2015 08:24pm

I am not a supporter of Iran but let's not blame Iran .US has interfered in internal affairs of every soveriegn county in middle east .It actually US who has destabilized entire middle east region.

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Nizamuddin Ahmad Aali

May 07, 2015 08:36pm

Why not, any good reason. Why discuss something which is not going to happen since Iranians have no such plan. Who is Saudi Arabia to question other countries where human right is NO NO. They put their own children in Jail for life if they want to be on their own and want to leave the country.

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Haider Rehman

May 07, 2015 08:38pm

I think Saudia is more of a de-stabilising force . Look what they did to Syria...

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M. Asghar

May 07, 2015 08:58pm

The USA have been and try to remain the only disruptive force in the region and now they are using SA's shoulders to create more mayhem, but they cannot cut out Iran in the region, because Iran has more and more geopolitical allies.

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KUMAIL12

May 07, 2015 08:59pm

Half of my comment does not show up for discussion. first iran will never have nuclear weapons, us she will have nuclear technology. As for saudi they can not fly a kite.

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Syed Ganga Din

May 07, 2015 09:38pm

Iran or any other country around the globe is no threat to the US. Shia/Sunni conflict stimulates the sale of weapons which is good for the US companies. Recent deal with Pakistan about the used equipment will do the same. It looks like a bargain right now but when you go for the spare parts, it will be a very expensive and complicated matter. Without regular maintenance and supply of spare parts, this equipment will be useless. US companies know that and will make a lot of money in the log run and that is good for the US economy.

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Zulkafil

May 07, 2015 10:22pm

The reins of Iran are in the hands of clergy and despite sanctions interfering in other countries in every possible way and if gets the nuclear weapons it will be the end of Arabs. No one should be under any illusion about nuclear Iran.

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Ajnan

May 07, 2015 10:30pm

The Iranian role in Yemen has been a negative one,” with financial, ideological and weapons support, rightly said by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

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PornToBeFree

May 07, 2015 10:38pm

Hi KUMAIL12 , I used to fly my kite when I was 3-year old and I was, most certainly, better at it than you at your age now. I understand why you and many people belittle Saudis. Just because we the people of the Kingdom are known to be intellectually lazy doesn't mean we as a nation can't develop our own nuclear program. The Saudi Royal Air force is already one of world most densely armed forces and has been well maintained by SA staff. The Kingdom has come a long way to become self-sufficient in a number of areas and I strongly think it is a matter of time before the nuclear option becomes a need & reality. Yes! we have a lot of issues which hinder the progress of the country, specially when it comes to efficiency and that's largely due to the highly bureaucratic system. That ought to change in the next two decades.

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anwar

May 07, 2015 10:49pm

@Syed Hussain Akbari because with nuclear need some pice of brain iran need some brain,befor he preaper nuc he start to warn israil n began to make enemies

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anwar

May 07, 2015 10:51pm

@KUMAIL12 but they can hunt the birds and handel scores of weman

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Grafello

May 07, 2015 11:18pm

Saudis as paranoid as Israel about iran's nuclear arms.

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Ali Shah

May 08, 2015 12:08am

@Ajnan Why it is so that whatever Kerry or Saudis say is considered as correct ? All vested interests are with Saudis because the kingdom is readily following their evil mission of killing Muslims by using the arms purchased from them. So they are naturally pleased due to boom in their arms factories.

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Merchant

May 08, 2015 12:12am

In which case the extremely spurious abs secretive Israel should not have nuclear weapons!!

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CYRUS

May 08, 2015 12:35am

@Muhammad iqbal For American and Western Europe it is about oil supplies. For Israel and the Saudis it is not about oil. Neither Israel nor Saudi Arabia want their countries to become Iranian territory. If Israel attacks the Iranian nuclear facilities Saudi Arabia will look the other way. They will make it a war of Sunni against Shia. The West pays for oil. The Iranians want to destroy Israel, get Muslims on their side and take over the Arab peninsula en toto. All of it's oil wells. The Iranian ayatollahs dream of controlling all the oil wealth of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Heil Hitler and Bonsai. "Onward to the Muslim conquest of the world. Follow us." Unfortunately for them ISIS has the very same idea of leading a Muslim world.

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Canada

May 08, 2015 12:36am

lol, the hypocrisy. SA and America are more destabilizing then Iran. After 9/11 America decided to completely destroy the landscape of the Mid East. Libya destroyed, Iraq Destroyed, Syria almost destroyed, Yemen almost destroyed and this was all due to direct intervention by US and SA. Iran has been in the region for over 2000 years. Egypt elected a democratic president why did they not denounce the illegal coup by Sisi? Has this not destabilized the region? US and Saudis are liars and war mongers. Russia, China and Iran are the only countries that stand up to their atrocities, if not the whole world would be a disaster.

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CYRUS

May 08, 2015 01:02am

@Syed Ganga Din If Pakistan had more master tool and die makers and more capital equipment (machines making machines) that would not be a problem. They rich have no intention of making those kinds of long term investments. Only China and small progressive European countries plan and invest adequately for the future of their people.

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Pakistani

May 08, 2015 01:17am

They were saying the same thing about Germany, then about Russia, then China, then India and Pakistan. Perhaps it is their belief that knowledge of science and technology is proprietary to them and no one else should have it.

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pragmatic

May 08, 2015 02:57am

Good decision. A nuclear Iran will destabilize the region and will trigger an arms race in the middle east. Iran is hell bent on expanding its influence in the middle east, especially in the countries surrounding Saudi Arabia, for obvious reasons. It should not be allowed to possess nukes under any condition.

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ERo

May 08, 2015 03:25am

@Syed Hussain Akbari Cause Saudi will have nuclear weapons too. Through Pakistan

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Laiq Ahmad

May 08, 2015 06:10am

Iran should not have the nuclear arms but it is acceptable for other countries like Pakistan. India, China & Israel to have them.

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May 08, 2015 06:44am

works to pakistan's advantage. surely, pakistan wont want another nuclear armed neighbor.

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rehan

May 08, 2015 10:31am

America is given Iran fewer and fewer reasons about why it should not have a Nuclear weapon. Iran has slowed down it's work but eventually, they are going to make an N Bomb and lay the blame on America . With Saudi Arabia's decreasing influence in the region and Israel's increasing threats , Iran would be the new regional power center in the coming years .

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rukhsar

May 08, 2015 02:28pm

what a joke?

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