The Saudi Foreign Minister confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's relations with the United States are strategic and historic and are very important for the two countries, be them in the security, military, economic, or political spheres, pointing out that there is an ongoing strategic partnership serving the two countries as regards a lot of topics. He said, "we are consulting with the United States with regard to the situation in Lebanon and how to reach elections of a new president, and we are also consulting with the U.S. on the reforms that the Iraqis ought to apply to maintain Iraq's stability, security and independence away from Iran's influence". He explained that the United States supports the efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the coalition in Yemen. "we appreciate this very much" he said. "The United States is an important commercial and economic partner of the Kingdom, and we have more than 122,000 Saudi students studying in the United States, yet another proof of the strength of relations between the two countries", he added. The Saudi Foreign Minister said "our policy toward Iraq is clear. We support reforms in Iraq that preserve the rights of all sects, and we are with the notion that there should be an Iraqi government ensuring the unity and stability of Iraq and lessening or keep Iraq away from of Iranian hegemony." Al-Jubeir said, "if Iran wants to make troubles in the region, this should and will not be at the expense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is working to confront Iran's trouble-making activities in the region", he said, citing the Kingdom's support for legitimacy in Yemen as the best proof of that. What the Kingdom is doing is to confront Iranian influence in the region, taking into consideration that the presence of Iran began to shrink in some areas. We are determined that Iran should not have a direct intervention in the Arab world", he added. He expressed hope that Iran's relations with its Arab neighbors, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will turn positive, to be built on many bases, topped by non-interference in internal affairs and respect for others". "But what we have seen from Iran over the last 35 years is just the opposite, and if there were any aggressive operations in the region they came from Iran, not from the Kingdom," he said. -- More 00:36 LOCAL TIME 21:36 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w