Saudi Arabia Supports U.S. ‘Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran’

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman said he met with Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative to Iran, to “explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts and continuous escalation that threaten the region’s security and stability.”

In a series of posts on Twitter, the minister affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the U.S. “maximum pressure campaign on Iran,” which is cited as a result of “continuing Iranian hostility and terrorism.”

The U.S. called off military strikes against Iran on Thursday night that were approved by President Donald Trump, according to an administration official, abandoning a move that would have dramatically escalated tensions that are already running high between the two countries.

The Saudi official also said in the tweets he discussed with Hook the “dangerous“ role the Iranian regime plays in Yemen. In other tweets earlier this month, the minister said that for 40 years the Iranian regime has been “spreading chaos, death and destruction, by sponsoring and financing terrorist organizations including the Houthis.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Filipe Pacheco in Dubai at fpacheco4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Celeste Perri at cperri@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge

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