Iranian FM Blasts S. Arabia's Regional Policies

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lashed out at Saudi Arabia for its "destructive" regional policies, warning that Riyadh's approach has even harmed its own interests.

News ID: 431884

Date: 23 August 2017 - 20:11

RNA - "Iran has always urged good ties with its neighbors but we believe that Saudi Arabia's policies in the region have been destructive and have even harmed the country," Zarif said on Wednesday.

Stressing the need for Saudi Arabia to change its regional views, he said, "In such a case we will come at a stage that practical measures to improve relations between the two countries will be possible."

Elsewhere, Zarif referred to the conflicts among certain regional states, and said Tehran is concerned about these tensions and has called on them to resolve their problems through talks.

In relevant remarks last Sunday, Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani took Saudi Arabia responsible for the creation of the Takfiri terrorist groups and critical conditions in the region.

"Iran has never created crisis and never nurtured the Takfiris. The (terrorist) groups like Jeish al-Islam and Jeish al-Hor have been created by the Saudis but we became the source of stability in Syria," General Soleimani said, addressing a forum in Tehran.

Stressing that Iran doesn’t differentiate between its own and Iraq's interests, he said, "We were not after occupying the oil wells, Mosul and Kirkuk and currency demands (in Iraq)."

Also, last Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari underlined the necessity for the settlement of differences between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but meantime, said that Tehran doesn’t accept Riyadh's hegemonic policies against Doha.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran doesn’t support exacerbation of the crisis between Doha and Riyadh, and it clearly states that it doesn’t accept any policy that is based on the hegemony of an actor in relations with other neighbors," Jaberi Ansari said.

Stressing that Iran itself doesn’t pursue hegemonic policies either, he said, "Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the two sides should move to decrease tension and conflicts through direct negotiations."

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar early June, and suspended air and sea communication one week after the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, accusing Doha of supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

Qatar rejected claims by a Saudi-led bloc of countries that it “finances terrorism” and intervenes in their internal affairs.

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