Saudi rejection of Security Council seat – snub for US

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki tried shrugging off Saudi Arabia’s unprecedented refusal of a nonpermanent Security Council seat, saying that Washington would continue to work with Riyadh on matters of common interest. The Saudis accused the international body of double standards, failing to act against the Assad regime and falling down on a host of international issues in the Middle East. However, the snub essentially indicated Riyadh’s disapproval of the Obama administration’s outreach to Iran and its regional policies as a whole.