On 13 October 1975,
King Khalid appointed Prince Saud as foreign minister. He was relieved from the post on 29 April 2015 due to health problems and was replaced by
Adel al-Jubeir, a former Saudi ambassador to the United States.
Timeline Prince Saud was well regarded in the diplomatic community. In July 2006, he urged U.S. President
George W. Bush to call for a ceasefire in the
Lebanon bombing. In January 2008, he supported parliamentary elections in Pakistan. He indicated that Pakistan did not need "overt, external interference" to solve political division. He commended
Nawaz Sharif as a stable bipartisan candidate. In February 2010, he told General Jones to distinguish between friends and enemies in Pakistan rather than using indiscriminate military action. He insisted that Pakistan's army must maintain its credibility. In November 2010, he led the Saudi delegation at the
G-20 Summit. In January 2011, he withdrew out of mediation efforts to reinstate a government in Lebanon. Commenting on the fragile security situation, Prince Saud noted that: "One of the most important causes is the continuation of the unresolved conflict as well as the continuation of the Israeli aggression policy against the Palestinians. "We have discussed, in the meeting, many issues, especially the heinous massacre against the Syrian people. We also discussed the latest developments in Yemen, and reviewed the overall developments and political situation in the
Persian Gulf region, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as their repercussions on the security and stability of the region and the world," Prince Saud said. He stated that 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
government led by
Saad Hariri. 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. , walks to greet U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 25 June 2013.|250px 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 the 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-thaw-saudi-extends-invite-to-iran/2014/05/13/b89a1d19-3b62-4e3e-9f56-730b8819e4e2_story.html ==Other governmental activities==