Manama: Adel Al Jubeir, Saudi Foreign Minister, said that Iran was the last country to talk about seeking stability in the region and that the Iranian president should be the last person to talk about democracy.
“Regarding the situation in Syria, if it were not for Iran, there would be no destruction, devastation and killing,” Al Jubeir said in an interview with Al Arabiya with pan-Arab channel in New York on Monday. “Iran supports the regime of Bashar Al Assad by sending thousands of Iranian militants to Syrian and to the whole region and by recruiting the Hezbollah militia and other militias in the region and sending them to defend the regime of Bashar Al Assad.”
Responding to President Hassan Rouhani’s comment in his address to the 70th session of the UN General Assembly that Iran was willing to contribute to a political solution in Yemen, Al Jubeir said that “the problem in Yemen was the result of the overthrow of the government by Al Houthis, along with Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.”
“The Houthis have gone to war several times in Yemen, and they have links with Iran. Iran provides them with weapons, advisors and experts. Iran is one of the main reasons behind the war in Yemen today. Iran is trying to fan the flames in Yemen by smuggling weapons to Al Houthis in violation of UN Resolution 2216. Their last attempt was on Saturday, when an Iranian ship loaded with weapons destined for Al Houthis was intercepted. So, Iran is the last country to speak about stability and security in Yemen. Iran is one of the main reasons for what is happening in Yemen today,” he said.
In response to Rouhani’s comments on the Mina stampede, Al Jubeir said Iran was exploiting the human tragedy and politicising it.
“We have previously said that it is unacceptable to use such a human tragedy that happened while people were performing a religious ritual politically,” he said.
The minister added the Iranians were well aware that the Kingdom for decades had spared no effort to provide and facilitate visits to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
“The Iranians do realise that the Kingdom is exerting tremendous efforts for the service of the guests of Makkah. And I believe that what the Iranians said contradicts the principles of sovereignty and non-interference. The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques [the King] was clear when he ordered a thorough and transparent investigation and will hold any individual or organisation accountable guilty of failure or shortcoming. This investigation is ongoing and we will announce the results to the whole world. The Iranians are the last to speak of Haj and pilgrims because they have in the past caused problems and annoyed pilgrims several times, through their protests in the 1980s which resulted in a number of deaths due to their riots in Makkah,” he said.
