In an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Seyed Reza Mirabian referred to the recent claims of Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan about possible talks between Iran and the United States and the issue that Riyadh and their regional friends should be fully consulted. “This is not the first time the Saudis have made such a request, and they have said so in the past,” he said.

“During the talks on Iran Nuclear Agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, both Saudi Arabia and some other countries on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf implicitly and openly raised the issue that the interests of the Cooperation Council countries should also be taken into account,” Mirabian said.

Explaining why they have raised the issue again, Mirabian explained: “Because they now see that Donald Trump’s presidency is coming to an end in less than two months, the maximum US pressure on Iran has not responded, and Biden has explicitly stated that he wants to return to the JCPOA talks, so these countries are concerned that in such a situation, the US supportive approach to them will change.”

Referring to recent statements of the Saudi and Bahraini foreign ministers, who said that any reform of the Iran nuclear deal should include aspects that have raised concerns in the region, he stressed that these talks are a message to Joe Biden and Europe.

He added: “Riyadh and Manama, concerned about the reduction of tensions between Iran and the United States and even with Europe and the change in their supportive attitude towards Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, request that if talks with Iran resume, they also be present at the talks.” “Or at least their interests should be taken into account.”

Mirabian continued while the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on the fact that the issue of JCPOA has nothing to do with these countries.

Of course, apart from JCPOA, Iranian officials have repeatedly asked Arab countries to come to the negotiating table with the aim of creating security and calm in the region, but Saudi Arabia has always refused to talk to Iran.

“The Hormuz plan presented by Iran was in the same direction, and the Islamic Republic of Iran wants to talk to the countries of the region without the intervention of trans-regional powers,” he continued.

Referring to the black record of Riyadh on human rights issues, he said: “Now, if Saudi Arabia raises these issues, it is because they are worried about the future of their relations with the United States and they are afraid that the cases against Saudi Arabia shelved during the Trump era could be reopened – cases such as the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, the 9/11 file (attacks on the twin towers), or the JASTA Law which allows 9/11 victims to receive compensation from Saudi capital in the US. “Riyadh now fears that Joe Biden will reopen the cases to blackmail Saudi Arabia.”

Emphasizing that the Saudis are fleeing forward, Mirabian added: “They are now using the issue of Iran as a pretext to advance this policy and are trying to protect themselves by posing an Iranian threat.”