page_title: Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
section_title: Iran and Lebanon
hierarchical_section_title: Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud / Foreign Minister / Iran and Lebanon
caption_attribution_description: English: THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal. Русский: МОСКВА, КРЕМЛЬ. С Министром иностранных дел Саудовской Аравии Саудом аль-Фейсалом.
context_page_description: Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, also known as Saud Al Faisal, was a Saudi diplomat and statesman who served as Saudi Arabia's foreign minister from 1975 to 2015. A member of the Saudi royal family, he was the longest-serving foreign minister in world history since Klemens von Metternich.
context_section_description: Rather than military action on Iran, Saud Al Faisal called for tougher sanctions such as travel bans and further bank lending restrictions. He has stated U.S. foreign policy has tilted more power for Iran. He compared the Iranian influence in Iraq with Iranian influence in Lebanon. He commended positive developments by Iran such as its influence over Hezbollah to end street protests.
  In early 2011, he expressed fear of the "dangerous" instability in Lebanon after the fall of the Saad Hariri government. He also stated that Lebanon's ability to establish peaceful coexistence with so many different groups may be a significant loss in the Arab world if the nation failed in creating a government.
  In May 2014 it was reported that Prince Saud had invited Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Riyadh, breaking the ice in one of the most hostile relationships in the Middle East ahead of key talks on Iran's nuclear program in Vienna. Speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital, Foreign Minister Prince Saud said the kingdom was ready to host Iranian Foreign Minister "anytime he sees fit" and indicated that Riyadh was willing to open negotiations with its nemesis on the many combustible issues dividing them.
caption: Prince Saud (left) meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on 14 February 2008.
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