Iran considers Saudi defense minister's remarks as "clear threat"
Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations called the Saudi Defense Minister's recent statements about Iran a "clear threat" against his country and an "admission to this regime's cooperation with terrorist acts."
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations considered the statements of Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman "a clear threat against Iran and a sign of support for terrorism," according to Article 2, paragraph 4, of the United Nations Charter.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman claimed in a televised interview on May 2, referring to “Iran’s role in Yemen and the region,” that “Iran’s ultimate goal is to take control of Mecca.” He added that instead of allowing Saudi Arabia to become a battlefield, his country would try to drag the battle into Iran.
Mohammed bin Salman also said that Iran seeks to dominate the Islamic world and that Saudi Arabia sees no chance of dialogue with Iran, which is paving the way for the emergence of Imam Mahdi. The Saudi defense minister added that his country can defeat the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
On Thursday, May 4, Gholamali Khoshroo emphasized in a letter to the UN Secretary-General: "Such statements are not only a threat against Iran, but also constitute an explicit acceptance of the Saudi regime's complicity in terrorist and violent acts inside Iran, the latest example of which is the martyrdom of nine Iranian border guards at the hands of armed thugs funded by Saudi Arabia."
A group of Iranian border guards were attacked in northeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province on May 26. A day later, the “Army of Justice” group, which opposes the Islamic Republic, claimed responsibility for the attack.
In his letter to the United Nations, Gholamali Khoshroo called Saudi Arabia a country that has a "long history of supporting aggression and using terrorist and extremist groups to achieve its goals" in the "region and beyond."
He cited "the creation of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the 1990s, the support for terror and instability in Iraq since 2003, and the financial support for ISIS and other terrorist organizations" as examples of his words.
The Iranian representative had stated that “peace and stability are the common interest of all the governments of the Persian Gulf region” and that Iran “has no interest or benefit in escalating tensions among its neighbors and is ready for dialogue and cooperation to strengthen stability in the region, combat destabilizing extremist violence, and reject sectarian hatred.”
Iran and Saudi Arabia are competing for influence in the region. Iran is accused of supporting Yemen's Houthi rebels, while Saudi Arabia leads a coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen. In Syria, the two countries also support rival groups.
Saudi Arabia has severed ties with Iran after the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad.
Source: DW
