Saudi-US ties are ‘iron clad’, says Al-Jubeir

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir affirmed on Saturday that the Kingdom’s relationship with the United States is “ironclad.”

During his keynote speech today at the 14th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue, Al-Jubeir stressed that the Kingdom would bring justice to those responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“There has been hysteria in the media about Saudi Arabia’s guilt before the investigation is done…we know a mistake was committed, people exceeded their authority, we will put in place mechanisms to ensure mistakes won’t happen again.”

The investigation and trial of the detainees will remain in Saudi Arabia, the foreign minister confirmed.

Elsewhere, he said the “difference between 50 years ago and now is that now, regional actors are bent on changing regional order rather than outside powers,” while naming Iran in specific.

“The region will end up in a better place, peaceful place but challenge is to deal with forces of darkness,” Al-Jubeir added.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis also addressed the forum of Arab leaders and journalists tackling a range of regional topics.

“A stable Middle East underpins a stable world. Instability does not respect national borders; it grows and spreads if left unchecked,” Mattis said.

Moreover, Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia had already stopped buying weapons from Germany. In recent weeks, Germany announced that it would discontinue sales of weapons to the Kingdom.