Washington: Saudi Arabia called the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers a "flawed agreement" on Monday, on the eve of a meeting between the Saudi crown prince and US President Donald Trump who have both been highly critical of Iran.
"Our view of the nuclear deal is that it's a flawed agreement," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told reporters in Washington.
The Crown Prince will meet President Donald Trump and a number of high ranking US officials to discuss ways to further enhance bilateral relations.
According to Al Arabiya, the meeting between Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed on Tuesday will focus on all issues of concern, including the agreement to confront Iran and its meddlesome policies and interference in the internal affairs of the region’s countries.
Jubeir called out Iran for what Riyadh has long slammed as Tehran's destabilising behaviour in the region.
"We've called for tougher policies towards Iran for years," Jubeir said.
"We're looking at ways in which we can push back against Iran's nefarious activities in the region," Jubeir said, lambasting Tehran's support for the Houthi militia in Yemen and support for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in Syria.
Saudi state news agency SPA said the crown prince left for the United States on Monday to begin the visit, which is also expected to include meetings with business leaders and stops in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.
It is the first visit by Crown Prince Mohammed to the United States since he became heir apparent.
The trip follows the crown prince’s visits to both Egypt and the UK earlier this month, which led to a string of political and economic agreements signed between the Kingdom and two of its key allies.
Senior Trump administration officials who briefed reporters ahead of the visit said Trump wants to resolve a dispute between Gulf states and Qatar.
Trump also still wants to arrange a summit of Gulf states, the officials said.
Commercial ties also figure into the visit.
"While the crown prince is in Washington, we will be advocating for $35 billion in commercial deals for US companies that would support 120,000 American jobs," one official said.
In his meetings with business, industry and entertainment leaders, the prince is aiming to cultivate investments and political support. Several dozen Saudi chief executives are expected to join him in touting investment opportunities in the kingdom.
Jubeir said he would meet with executives in the oil and gas industry in Houston. He added that Riyadh would look to sign memorandums of understanding.
The crown prince will have meetings at Google, Apple and Lockheed Martin. He will also participate in a Saudi-US CEO forum in New York and will meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Jubeir said the US-Saudi relationship was at an "all-time high."
Any visit to the New York Stock Exchange will be watched closely by investors because of the potentially lucrative listing of up to five per cent of Saudi Aramco expected this year.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said recently that Aramco was too important to risk listing in the United States because of litigation concerns.
Prince Mohammed has won Western plaudits for seeking to ease Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil, tackle chronic corruption and transform the kingdom.
The crown prince is also likely to reiterate to Washington the view of Saudi Arabia that its regional arch-rival, Iran, should not be trusted given its nuclear programme.