Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia and Israel of Coordination on Regional Issues

Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, on Monday, March 2, dismissed what he called the "alignment of the positions of the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Israeli Defense Minister regarding Iran" as coincidental. He stated, "There is much evidence suggesting coordination between these two regimes on regional issues." According to Fars News Agency, Qasemi was responding to remarks made by the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Israeli Defense Minister at the Munich Security Conference, adding, "Both regimes believe that in order to compensate for their numerous failures in the region, they must incite international sentiment against our country." This Iranian diplomatic official described the rhetoric used by Adel al-Jubeir and Avigdor Lieberman as "repetitive and indicative of painful desperation." According to Reuters, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, on Sunday, March 1, during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, rejected Iran's requests for dialogue and described Tehran as the world's largest supporter of terrorism. Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Defense Minister, also accused Iran at the conference of having the ultimate goal of weakening Saudi Arabia and called for dialogue with Arab countries to defeat extremist elements in the region. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson labeled the Saudi Foreign Minister's accusation regarding Iran's support for terrorism as "baseless and ridiculous," stating that the repetition of this accusation "can never erase the ideological, educational, financial, and intelligence links between the Saudi regime and Takfiri terrorists." Qasemi's accusations against Saudi Arabia come at a time when several countries around the world also accuse Iran of supporting terrorist organizations. Recently, U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis, identified Iran as the world's primary supporter of terrorism. The U.S. State Department had also repeatedly labeled Iran as the leading state sponsor of "terrorism" during Barack Obama's presidency. The use of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to "implement the goals of the Islamic Republic in foreign policy," support for the Assad regime, and equipping Hezbollah in Lebanon were among the reasons the U.S. State Department placed Iran at the top of its list of state sponsors of terrorism. In this context, the Saudi Foreign Minister stated at the Munich Security Conference that Iran is a destabilizing force in the Middle East and wants to "destroy us." He added that "as long as Iran does not change its behavior, it will be very difficult to negotiate with such a country." On February 13, al-Jubeir referred to Iran as a "threat" to the region during a meeting with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Iran last winter following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad, which occurred after the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also accuse Iran of interfering in their internal affairs, while Tehran denies these accusations and accuses Riyadh of meddling in its internal matters. In this context, Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, stated on February 19 that "armed groups opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the support of extra-regional organizations and some Gulf countries," have once again "entered a military phase." These accusations arise while these countries deny interfering in Iran's internal affairs. The Saudi Foreign Minister's remarks on Sunday came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani welcomed efforts to improve relations between Tehran and the Arab Gulf countries on February 16, stating that Iran seeks good relations with these countries. Additionally, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, on March 1, during remarks at the Munich Security Conference, called on Gulf countries to "overcome the current state of division and tension" and said these countries should move towards "establishing realistic regional coordination." He suggested promoting understanding on a wide range of issues, including confidence-building and security measures, and combating terrorism, extremism, and sectarianism through a "regional dialogue forum" based on generally agreed principles and common goals. Meanwhile, according to Reuters, the Saudi Foreign Minister stated on Sunday that "Iran supported Bashar al-Assad's regime and aided the Houthi separatists in Yemen and violent groups across the region." Simultaneously, the Twitter account of the Saudi Foreign Ministry quoted al-Jubeir as saying that "Iran is the only country in the region that has not yet been attacked by ISIS or other terrorist organizations." Iran's relations with some Arab Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, have soured due to their support for factions involved in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. These countries also accuse Tehran of interfering in the internal affairs of these countries, an accusation that Iran has denied. In this regard, al-Jubeir called on the international community to deter Iran from these actions by establishing red lines. Earlier, Hassan Rouhani stated on February 16 that "Iran has never sought aggression, nor interference in the internal affairs of countries, nor the imposition of its religious, ideological, or political beliefs. The basis of our policy is joint cooperation with friends and Islamic countries." According to Reuters, Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Defense Minister, also accused Iran at the Munich Security Conference of having the ultimate goal of weakening Saudi Arabia and called for dialogue with Arab countries to defeat extremist elements in the region. This Israeli official stated, "The real division is not between Jews and Muslims, but between moderates and extremists." The Israeli Defense Minister told attendees at the Munich Security Conference that Iran had written on long-range missiles it fired last year, including in Hebrew, "Israel must be wiped off the map." According to Lieberman, "Iran has violated Security Council resolutions and has missile cooperation with North Korea." Previously, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, on February 16, during a joint press conference with Donald Trump, stated that he believes combating the "growing wave of extremist Islam" is possible with the help of the U.S. government. He said, "I think we can roll back the aggression and threat from Iran." Netanyahu had previously called for a "global alliance against Iran" following Tehran's recent ballistic missile test, stating that forming such a front against Iran's "aggressive nature" is a necessity. Relations between Iran and Israel have been severed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran does not recognize Israel as an independent country and Iranian officials rarely refer directly to this country in their official rhetoric.