Saudi Crown Prince Calls Khamenei the 'New Hitler'

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, made rare statements calling the leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, a 'new Hitler' emerging in the Middle East. Reuters reported on Friday (November 24) that he made these remarks during an interview with The New York Times on Thursday. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia stated regarding Khamenei: '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, said that there must be a confrontation with the Islamic Republic, which, under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is expanding its borders. The 32-year-old Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is currently considered the key player in the domestic and foreign policy of this country. Iran and Saudi Arabia, representing the majority Shia and Sunni populations respectively, have faced each other in most regional political and military crises. The verbal tensions and proxy wars 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, harshly criticized Iran and Hezbollah for what he termed interference in the affairs of other Arab countries. However, Tehran claims that several senior figures and even politicians close to Hariri and Hezbollah identify Saudi Arabia as the main factor behind the resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister. Meanwhile, Riyadh denies these accusations, and Saad Hariri, who returned to Lebanon after a while, has currently put his resignation on hold. Another disputed area between Iran and Saudi Arabia is Yemen, where Riyadh accuses Tehran of supporting its Shia minority. Meanwhile, Khamenei, referring to the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, stated that the Islamic Republic will assist 'wherever' he claims there is a need to confront infidelity and arrogance. The commander of the Revolutionary Guards also announced for the first time yesterday that Iran is engaged in 'advisory and spiritual' assistance in Yemen; a term also used for the active presence of Iranian forces or those sent by Iran in Syria. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has conducted thousands of airstrikes on areas controlled by the Houthis during the two-and-a-half-year civil war in Yemen. Bin Salman also told The New York Times that the battle in Yemen is progressing in favor of Riyadh and its allies, who control over 85 percent of the territory. The Houthis recently launched a ballistic missile close to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which provoked anger among Saudi officials. In response to Bin Salman’s statements, who had previously threatened to bring the war inside Iran's borders, the leader of the Islamic Republic has repeatedly referred to Saudi officials as 'corrupt', 'impudent', and 'shameless'.