Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Council of Ministers on Tuesday underscored the need to confront the activities of the malicious Iranian regime aimed at spreading destruction throughout the Middle East region.

The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, welcomed the recent statement of US President Donald Trump in this respect.

Minister of Culture and Information Awwad Al-Awwad said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session that the Cabinet lauded the invitation of Trump to all US allies to take stronger steps to confront the activities of the malicious Iranian regime, which he considered as the main sponsor of terrorism in the world.

The Cabinet noted that Iran funded, armed and trained more than 100,000 men to spread destruction throughout the Middle East, as well as supported Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and helped him kill his people.

“Iran’s devastating missiles also threaten neighboring countries and international navigation. It also resorted to a practice of mass arrests, torture, suppression and silencing the Iranian people.”

Al-Awwad said the Cabinet also appreciated the declaration of the US judiciary to set up a special unit to investigate terrorist funding by Hezbollah through drug trafficking as well as probe the role of individuals and networks that provide support to this terrorist outfit and track them down.

The Cabinet appreciated the United Nations’ report on Iran’s violation of the UN embargo on the shipment of weapons to Yemen.

The report considered Iran as non-compliant with Security Council resolution No. 2216 on the arms embargo and facilitating Al-Houthi rebels’ access to drones and ballistic missiles launched against the Kingdom and their entry in Yemen even after the arms embargo imposed in 2015.

Al-Awwad said the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of Israel’s approval of the construction of more than 1,000 new settlement units and their bidding for the construction of over 650 other units in a number of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of the twin suicide bombings in central Baghdad, which resulted in the death and injury of scores of people.

The Cabinet hailed the launch of the first batch of the second phase of ‘Sakani 2018’ housing program by the Ministry of Housing and Real Estate Development Fund. This included a total of 19,481 residential and financed products distributed throughout the Kingdom as a part of the program’s goals during the current year, which includes the allocation of 300,000 residential units and financed support.