Adel al-Jubeir: Saudi Arabia is not on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, but Iran is

A week after the publication of an article by Iran's Foreign Minister in The New York Times accusing Saudi Arabia of supporting 'violent extremists', his Saudi counterpart responded on Tuesday, January 29, with a note in the same newspaper, stating that his country has been a victim of terrorism from Iran's supporters. In the article titled 'Can Iran Change?', Adel al-Jubeir claimed that instead of addressing its self-caused isolation, Iran should abandon its 'dangerous expansionist and sectarian policies' and its support for terrorism, rather than making baseless accusations against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He emphasized the importance of understanding why Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are committed to resisting Iran's expansionism and responding strongly to its aggressive actions. Al-Jubeir pointed to the nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers, stating that a significant part of Iranian society desires fundamental change domestically and better relations with neighboring countries and the world, but the Iranian government does not want this. He then referenced the victory of the 1979 revolution in Iran and the drafting of the Islamic Republic's constitution, which called for 'exporting the revolution', concluding that as a result of this approach, Tehran supports violent extremist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and sectarian militias in Iraq. The Saudi Foreign Minister held Iran responsible for the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996, and the assassination of political dissidents in the Mykonos restaurant in Berlin in 1992. 'Since 2003, 1,100 American forces in Iraq have been killed by Iranian-backed forces.' Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been severely turbulent over the past five years, particularly following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, by the Saudi government on January 12 of this year, leading to a complete deterioration. 'We are not on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, but Iran is. Our nation is not on the list of international sanctions for supporting terrorism, but Iran is. Our officials are not on the list of sponsors of terrorism, but Iran is. It was not our agent who was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a federal court in New York for plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington in 2011; it was an Iranian agent.' Following the news of this execution, a group in Tehran attacked the Saudi embassy and set it on fire. The consulate of this country in Mashhad was also damaged. This attack led to the severing of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, and since then, officials from both countries have engaged in a fierce verbal war against each other, with the article writing by the foreign ministers of both countries being the latest example of this verbal conflict. In another section of his article, the Saudi Foreign Minister accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of using attacks on foreign embassies as a tool in its foreign policy. According to Adel al-Jubeir, 'The seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran was only the beginning of this process. Since then, the embassies of Britain, Denmark, Kuwait, France, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in Iran or in other countries have been attacked by Tehran's supporters.' He noted the activities and actions of Iran's allies in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, stating that Iran claims its main foreign policy priority is 'friendship', but its behavior contradicts this principle. 'Iran is considered the only hostile actor in the region, and its actions are both aimed at dominating the region and deeply reflect the view that conciliatory movements weaken Iran's position.' Adel al-Jubeir also referred to Iran's missile tests in October of this year, which he claimed violated Security Council resolutions, the missile targeting of American and French vessels in December, and the Iranian leader's statements defending the 'Death to America' slogan, stating that his country would not allow Iran to question the security of Saudi Arabia and its allies and 'we will respond to any such attempts.' He added, 'Iran has insulted the Saudis by bizarrely claiming that my country, the home of the two holy mosques, brainwashes people to spread extremism.' Al-Jubeir addressed Iran, saying, 'We are not on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, but Iran is. Our nation is not on the list of international sanctions for supporting terrorism, but Iran is. Our officials are not on the list of sponsors of terrorism, but Iran is. It was not our agent who was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a federal court in New York for plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington in 2011; it was an Iranian agent.' He claimed that 'Saudi Arabia is a victim of terrorism, specifically from Iran's allies. Our country is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and cooperates with its allies in this regard. The question is whether Iran wants to continue its existence within the framework of international norms or remain a revolutionary country seeking expansionism and confrontation with international regulations. In the end, we ask Iran to take a path that resolves problems and brings peace to the people. But this requires significant changes in Iran's policies and behavior. We are still waiting for such a change.' Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, on January 21, published an article in The New York Times accusing Saudi Arabia of being concerned about resolving Iran's nuclear issue, as he stated that resolving this crisis would reveal the real threat to the world, namely Saudi Arabia's active support for 'violent extremists'. He continued, 'Let us not forget that almost all perpetrators of terrorist acts from the time of the September 11 attacks (in 2001) to the recent shooting in San Bernardino (in 2015), and almost all members of extremist Islamic groups such as al-Qaeda and the al-Nusra Front, have either been Saudi nationals or funded in some way by oil dollars to promote anti-Islamic messages of hatred and sectarianism for decades.'