Saudi Arabia: US Lied to Us in Negotiating Iran Nuke Pact

Saudi Arabia says it was deceived in the way that Washington struck the nuclear deal with Iran, forcing the Saudis to pursue a foreign policy independent from the West.

According to The UK's Daily Telegraph, a senior adviser to the Saudi royal family said while it knew the United States was talking directly to Iran through a channel in Oman, its Western allies failed to brief the country on its talks with Iran.

"We were lied to, things were hidden from us," Nawaf Obaid told a think tank meeting in London, the Telegraph reports. "The problem is not with the deal struck in Geneva but how it was done."

While the country has not condemned the deal, Saudi Arabia has previously expressed its concern about U.S. outreach to Iran and continues to be at odds with the Obama administration's hands-off approach to the conflict in Syria.

"[Saudi Arabia] will be there to stop them wherever they are in Arab countries," Obaid said. "We cannot accept Revolutionary Guards round Homs."

Earlier this month, Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi King Abdullah in an attempt to quell tensions over American policy on Syria and Iran.


Related stories:

• Gen. Hayden: Iran Deal 'Worst of All Possible Outcomes'
• Republicans Skeptical of Iran Nuclear Deal