Rohani Holds Some Regional Islamic Countries Responsible for Recent 'Crimes'

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Thursday, without naming a specific country, held the 'Islamic countries of the region' responsible for recent crimes, stating that they provided 'money and weapons to terrorist groups.' Riyadh and Tehran have long accused each other of interfering in Iraq and Syria and supporting terrorism, calling for a halt and change in each other's regional policies. According to Iranian news agencies, Rouhani, speaking at the opening ceremony of the 30th 'International Unity Conference,' continued: 'The primary responsibility for the destruction of Mosul and the beheading of young Muslims lies with Western powers and then their regional supporters.' He then identified the second responsible party as 'some Islamic countries' that 'provided money and weapons to terrorist groups.' This comes as Samantha Power, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, on Tuesday, labeled the Syrian government and its two allies, Iran and Russia, as 'responsible for the crimes' in Aleppo. Hundreds also protested in front of the Iranian consulate in Istanbul against the Islamic Republic's policies regarding Aleppo. The Iranian president stated that 'violence is against Islam,' adding: 'If we speak clearly, some of these deviant thoughts of today's world were nurtured in some religious schools, and violence against Islam, whether Shia or Sunni, and against any ethnicity is unjust and unacceptable.' Rouhani deemed discussions of 'Shia Crescent and Sunni Triangle' as incorrect and emphasized: 'Shia and Sunni are brothers and followers of Islam and the Prophet's teachings.' Rouhani's remarks come amid recent statements by Mohammad Ali Falaki, a commander of the IRGC in Syria, who spoke of forming a Shia Liberation Army led by Qassem Soleimani. In part of his speech, Rouhani referred to the centuries of peaceful coexistence between Shia and Sunni throughout history, stating: 'We have lived alongside each other for centuries, Shia and Sunni, various sects and ethnicities, Iranians and Iraqis, Syrians and Lebanese, Libyans and Egyptians, Yemenis and Bahrainis, all together, living in respect and not insulting the elders of our faiths.' Rouhani pointed to the 70-year history of conflict, war, and strife among Muslims, adding: 'What greater tragedy is there than that some Muslims harbor animosity towards each other instead of against the colonizers and looters of Islamic countries' resources and also the regime that is considered the greatest danger in the region?' The Iranian president also predicted: 'We will return to a day when all Muslims in the region recognize the great enemy as the Zionist regime.' The anniversary of the birth of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the Prophet of Islam, is a point of contention among Sunnis and Shias. In the 1980s, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a Shia jurist and marja who was then responsible for the deputy leadership in Iran, named the week of disagreement over the Prophet's birthday as 'Unity Week,' which has been commemorated in Iran ever since, with an annual conference held in Tehran for this occasion. Sunnis in Iran, who mostly live in border provinces, criticize the strictness and discrimination they believe is imposed on them. Among the grievances of Sunnis is the lack of a specific mosque in Tehran for holding prayers and other religious ceremonies. In this context, the request of Molavi Abdulhamid from Rouhani 'for the provision of religious freedoms' is notable. Khamenei stated: 'Regional crises have nothing to do with Shia and Sunni.' Reuters reported: 'The fall of Aleppo and the consolidation of Iran's influence through the Shia Crescent.'