Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Riyadh on Sunday on an unexpected trip to meet senior Saudi officials. Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Riyadh on Sunday on an unexpected trip to meet senior Saudi officials.
Ali Larijani, secretary general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), is to meet Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal during his stay, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.
The two sides will discuss the situation in the Middle East, Iran’s nuclear program, and issues of bilateral concern, it said.
His trip had not previously been announced in state media and came hot on the heels of the announcement last week by U.S. President George W. Bush of his administration’s new strategy for curbing violence in Iraq.
Washington and Iraqi officials routinely blame Tehran for aiding Shiite militias responsible for dozens of assassinations in Iraq on a daily basis.
In July 2006, Larijani traveled to Riyadh where he hand-delivered a message by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to King Abdullah.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister along with his French counterpart jointly urged Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.
