Iran's Defense Minister Warns Saudi Arabia Following Mohammed bin Salman's Remarks

Following the comments made by the Saudi Defense Minister about bringing the battle into Iran, the Iranian Defense Minister has warned in an interview with the 'Al-Manar' network that if Saudi Arabia takes any action in this regard, 'we will leave no place safe other than Mecca and Medina.' Hossein Dehghan, Iran's Defense Minister, stated on May 6 in his interview with Al-Manar, a television network affiliated with Hezbollah Lebanon, that Saudi officials 'think that because they have an air force, they can do something.' According to the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, he said, 'We advise them not to act foolishly, but if they do, we will leave no place safe other than Mecca and Medina.' Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia, had recently stated in an interview that Riyadh would not wait for the war to enter Saudi Arabia and would seek to bring the battle to Iran. This Saudi official accused Iran of seeking 'access' to Mecca as the center of the Islamic world, adding that negotiating with a government that awaits the emergence of Mahdi and dominance over the Islamic world is impossible. The Saudi official's remarks were met with reactions from Iranian officials. The Iranian Foreign Ministry described these comments as 'a clear document for pursuing Saudi Arabia's destabilizing policies' in the region. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations also referred to Mohammed bin Salman's remarks in a letter to the UN Secretary-General as 'an open threat' and 'an admission of cooperation with terrorist groups inside Iran.' Iran and Saudi Arabia's relations have faced various ups and downs over the decades. In recent years, these relations have soured further, with the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and a group attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad escalating tensions. Following the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran. Saudi Arabia and several of its allied countries in the region have accused Iran of interfering in Arab countries' affairs, which Iran has denied. Riyadh and Tehran support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and the battles in Yemen.