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Carter: Saudis welcoming Iran deal, but with reservations

Associated Press
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U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter pauses as he speaks with media on a military aircraft after departing Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 22, 2015, en route Amman, Jordan. While in Jiddah Carter met with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and other Saudi officials. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool) (The Associated Press)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left, meets with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, right, at Al-Salam Palace in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Carter flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to consult with Saudi leaders, who are also unsettled by an Iran accord they see as likely to increase Iranian power and influence in the Persian Gulf and beyond. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool) (The Associated Press)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul Aziz at Al-Salam Palace in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 22, 2015. Carter flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to consult with Saudi leaders, who are also unsettled by an Iran accord they see as likely to increase Iranian power and influence in the Persian Gulf and beyond. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool) (The Associated Press)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says Saudi King Salman is welcoming the Iran nuclear deal but expressing reservations about how effectively it will be enforced.

Carter met with the king as well as his defense minister Wednesday in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jedda.

Carter told reporters afterward that the king expressed reservations about how well Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal can be verified. And he expressed concern about the mechanism for reinstating international economic sanctions in the event that Iran is found to have violated the deal.

Carter said the U.S. shares those same concerns.

Saudi Arabia sees Iran as its chief regional foe and is worried about growing Iranian influence in Yemen and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region.