Response to Saudi Crown Prince's Remarks About Khamenei; Ghasemi: Immature

Bahrām Qāsemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the recent comments of the Saudi Crown Prince regarding the leader of the Islamic Republic as 'immature, ill-considered, and trivial,' stating that 'no one in the world and the international arena takes such remarks seriously.' Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, in an unprecedented statement, referred to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a 'new Hitler' emerging in the Middle East. According to Reuters, the Saudi Crown Prince made these remarks in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, November 23. According to ISNA, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, November 24, labeled the Saudi Crown Prince as 'adventurous,' claiming that his 'mistakes have also put his country's traditional allies in a state of 'trouble and turmoil.' Bahrām Qāsemi then advised Mohammed bin Salman: 'Now that you are thinking of modeling the behavior of the region's well-known dictators, you should reflect and think a little and also consider the fateful destiny they have faced in recent years.' As reported by Reuters, Mohammed bin Salman, in his interview with The New York Times, stated regarding the leader of the Islamic Republic: 'The lesson we learned from Europe is that appeasement does not work. We do not want a new Hitler in Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East.' He, who also holds the position of Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, added that there should be a confrontation with the Islamic Republic, which under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expanded its borders. Mohammed bin Salman is currently considered the main orchestrator of Saudi Arabia's domestic and foreign policy. Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively, have a Shia and Sunni majority, and they have faced each other in most regional political and military crises. The verbal tensions and proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia have entered a new phase following the recent resignation of Saad Hariri from the premiership of Lebanon. Mr. Hariri, who announced his resignation speech from Riyadh, severely criticized Iran and the Hezbollah group for what he called interference in the affairs of other Arab countries. However, Tehran has introduced several senior figures and even politicians close to Saad Hariri and Hezbollah as the main reason for the resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister. Saudi Arabia denies these accusations, and Saad Hariri, who has returned to Lebanon after a while, has currently suspended his resignation. Tehran and Riyadh also have disagreements over Iraq and Syria, accusing each other of interference in these two countries. Another disputed area between Iran and Saudi Arabia is Yemen, where Riyadh accuses Tehran of supporting its Shia minority. Meanwhile, Ayatollah Khamenei, referring to the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Iraq and Syria, stated that the Islamic Republic 'will assist wherever' he says 'there is a need for presence to confront infidelity and arrogance.' The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced for the first time on Thursday that Iran is engaged in 'advisory and spiritual' assistance in Yemen; a term also used for the active presence of Iranian forces or those dispatched from Iran in Syria. This is while Saudi Arabia has repeatedly bombed areas controlled by the Houthi group during the two-and-a-half-year civil war in Yemen. This group controls the city of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The Saudi Crown Prince told The New York Times that the battle in Yemen is progressing in favor of Riyadh and its allies, and they control over 85% of this land. The Houthis recently fired a ballistic missile near Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which was intercepted by the country's forces. In response, Saudi officials accused Iran of being involved in this missile attack, but Tehran denied this accusation.