Saudi Arabia appeals for calm after Soleimani killing

Iran promised harsh revenge after a US airstrike in Baghdad on Friday killed Qassem Soleimani. (File/AFP)

• ‘We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn’t escalate any further’
• ‘We have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security’

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Monday the kingdom does not want to see further escalation of tensions in the region at a “very dangerous moment,” following Friday’s killing by a US drone of Iran’s most prominent military commander.
“We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn’t escalate any further. It’s certainly a very dangerous moment and we have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told a news briefing in Riyadh.
“We hope that all actors take all the steps necessary to prevent any further escalation and any provocation,” he said.