The Jordanian government on Wednesday strongly condemned the alleged Iran-backed plot on the life of the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, dpa reported.
"Jordan categorically rejects and strongly denounces the targeting of any Saudi official or national symbol," Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.
Former chief of the Saudi intelligence Prince Turki al-Faisal told a press conference Wednesday in London that there was overwhelming evidence that Iran was behind a plot to kill the Saudi envoy in Washington and "must pay the price."
The US Justice Department on Tuesday charged two men with conspiring with Iranian authorities to blow up al-Jubeir on US soil.
"Jordan has a clear and principled attitude that considers the security, welfare and interests of the brethren Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a red line," Judeh said.
He called for strict judicial proceedings with a view to inflicting "deterrent punishment on those who were involved in this shameful conspiracy and those who stood behind them."
Saudi Arabia is a key financial supporter of cash-strapped Jordan. Riyadh donated 1.4 billion dollars to the Hashemite Kingdom in the last three months to help the Jordanian government come to grips with an unprecedented public budget deficit.
After the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, which inspired pro-reform protests in Jordan, Saudi Arabia emerged as the driving force behind a move by leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Jordan's admission to the oil-rich Arab bloc.
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