Iran: Saudi Arabia Should Look at Saddam's Fate

The Iranian Foreign Ministry referred to Saudi Arabia as the "Al Salman regime" and urged its officials to consider the history of the region, particularly the fate of their "friend and regional ally" Saddam Hussein. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, made this statement following recent comments by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, in France. Bin Salman stated in a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron that the Iranian government does not act in the interests of its people and has supported terrorism against Saudi Arabia. Macron also mentioned that Paris and Riyadh agree on the need to limit Iran's influence in the Middle East and Tehran's ballistic missile program. In response, Qasemi said, "If for any reason the Al Salman regime needs to change its face and conceal its dark record at this time and, out of necessity, spends billions of dollars to buy support from some extra-regional countries, they should take a renewed and prudent look at the not-so-distant history of the region, especially the fate of their regional friend and ally, Saddam." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson added, "Those who have registered their names and their country in the list of aggressors and criminals in the region, and are ranked alongside dictatorial aggressors and criminals like Saddam, should know that by making baseless claims against Iran, they cannot ignore the realities." He continued, "The inevitable fate of the Al Salman regime will not change with this type of outlook, projection, and buying security and support from others and backing terrorist groups." According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Saudi Arabia's name will not be forgotten in the production, promotion, and arming of violent extremists and terrorists... in various periods and under various names such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, causing numerous human crimes and disasters in some neighboring countries, the region, and the world. Qasemi accused Saudi Arabia of interfering in the affairs of other Middle Eastern countries and stated that "the current rulers of Saudi Arabia have turned themselves into a symbol of aggression and crime in the Middle East alongside the Zionist regime." He also expressed hope that "French officials in their discussions with Saudi officials have reminded their guests of the lessons and reminders left from the fate of previous aggressors and dictators in the region." The tone of Iranian and Saudi officials against each other has intensified following the escalation of the crisis in Yemen and the firing of several missiles at Saudi Arabia by Houthi Shiite rebels. Both sides accuse each other of interfering in the affairs of other countries and fueling instability, sectarianism, and extremism, and they are in a state of proxy war in several regional countries. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed after the deaths of more than 500 Iranian pilgrims in Mina and the attack by Hezbollah forces on Saudi diplomatic sites in Tehran and Mashhad. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister who traveled to Paris with Bin Salman, also stated that the image Iran seeks is "a dark dream filled with the export of revolution, sectarianism, and support for terrorism, which must be stopped." He added, "In the Middle East, there are two visions. One bright vision says to reform the country... and one dark vision says to use sectarianism, export revolution, and support terrorism... the model that the Iranians are pursuing is just that." This Saudi official also described the JCPOA agreement as full of "flaws and defects." For nearly 40 years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have always been marked by ups and downs and sometimes tensions, which continue to this day. The verbal tensions between the two sides and conflicting interests have reached a point where the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia speaks of the proximity of Riyadh's interests with Israel, and Iranian officials promise the downfall of the Al Saud.