Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday called for an "effective and serious" approach to Iran's ballistic and nuclear program, AFP reported.
The de facto ruler was representing his country at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, which brought together Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. His 85-year-old father King Salman did not attend.
"It is important to have an effective and serious approach to Iran's nuclear and ballistic program," the crown prince was quoted as having told the summit.
Last month, the United States and GCC countries accused Iran of causing a nuclear crisis and destabilizing the Middle East with ballistic missiles and drones.
They urged the Iranian administration to seize the "diplomatic opportunity" stemming from the resumption of talks in Vienna aimed at salvaging a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.
Saudi Arabia, which is Iran’s regional foe, has long spoken out against the Islamic Republic’s attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.
During the negotiations between Iran and world powers on the 2015 nuclear deal, Saudi Arabia and other major Sunni states expressed concern over a deal which would allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons – a position which placed them very close to Israel’s position on the matter.
Ultimately, however, Saudi Arabia's government announced that it welcomed the deal.
The crown prince’s comments follow last week’s resumption of talks between Iran and world powers on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, after a five-month pause.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in August that his country would accept a nuclear deal with Iran if it ensured Tehran never obtained a nuclear weapon.