Younesi: I Had Warned That the Saudi Embassy Would Be Attacked

Ali Younesi, special assistant to the Iranian president for ethnic and religious minorities, stated that a day before the attack on the Saudi embassy, he warned Iran's deputy foreign minister that "some extremist factions" opposing Hassan Rouhani's government would attack the embassy. In an interview with the newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh, published on Monday, January 28, he also mentioned that Saudi and Israeli security forces might have infiltrated among the "extremist" Shia groups and that the attack on the Saudi embassy could have been carried out under their "management." He said that a day before the attack, during a meeting with Hassan Qashqavi, the deputy for consular and parliamentary affairs at the foreign ministry, he informed him that "certain extremist factions" seeking to complicate the government's efforts in resolving economic issues and undermining its diplomacy would attack the Saudi embassy and set it on fire. According to Younesi, Qashqavi stated after the attack that "we informed the police and communicated... but for some reason, they were caught off guard, and the extremists did what they did." Younesi claimed he had no specific information about the attack, and his prediction was based on "security and political analysis." Following the execution of Sheikh Nimr on December 12 along with 46 others in Saudi Arabia, a group of Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, causing significant damage. The Saudi embassy was set on fire during this attack. Ali Motahari, a principlist member of the ninth parliament, stated on Monday, January 21, that the police were the "main culprit" in the attack on the Saudi embassy and that this institution should be held accountable for an incident that benefited Saudi Arabia. This incident has so far resulted in two casualties among security officials: Safarali Baratlou, the security deputy of Tehran province, and Hassan Arab Sarakhi, the commander of Tehran's special forces, both of whom have been dismissed from their positions. The Minister of Intelligence during Mohammad Khatami's presidency stated that Israeli and Saudi security agencies might have infiltrated among the "extremist" Shia groups and that the attack on the Saudi embassy could have been executed under their "management." He noted that "the environment for the growth of Islamophobia, Iranophobia, anti-national sentiment, and Israeli infiltration is created by these reckless actions and law violations." Younesi emphasized that if we accept that this action was managed by Saudi infiltrators, we must give high marks to their security agencies, as they managed to dilute the greatest crime they committed by executing their opponents and critics. He added, "Connecting Israel and Saudi Arabia is easy. Political activists easily connect these without any analysis, but how you connect these circles in Tehran and Mashhad is where my question lies." Younesi stated that "infiltration" among extremist groups is always easier because the infiltrator only needs to shout slogans, and in extremist groups, anyone who acts radically and shows this extremism in action and speech is sufficient. The special assistant to the Iranian president also stated that not all attackers on the Saudi embassy were "infiltrators." Iranian officials have previously made contradictory statements regarding the perpetrators of the attack on the Saudi embassy, ranging from infiltrators to American agents and royalists. While earlier, Mansour Haqiqatpour, the deputy head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian parliament, accused the supporters of Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi, a critic of the Islamic Republic, of attacking the Saudi embassy, the website Kalemeh, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, dismissed this accusation as "baseless" and reported that the action was carried out by individuals known as "Velayatmadar." Meanwhile, Younesi said that "infiltration" among Shia groups could occur through infiltration among the "Shirazi currents" or "internal alarmists." He also mentioned that the group he referred to as "English Shia" consists of those who "constantly provide false reports against Sunnis to officials" and manage television networks that broadcast from "England and America." The Iranian special assistant also stated that "unfortunately, some of these networks' programs are produced in Iran and even Qom." Last year, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced without naming names that it had shut down the offices of several satellite networks in four provinces due to "creating discord among followers of Islamic sects." Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi, whose supporters have been accused by some Iranian officials of attacking the Saudi embassy, is considered one of the critics of the Islamic Republic, and supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, have repeatedly referred to him and his supporters as "English Shia." Among them, Ali Saeedi, the representative of the leader of the Islamic Republic in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated on Monday, June 25, that "the extremist or London-based Shia, represented by figures like Sadegh Shirazi, insult the sanctities of Sunnis and promote neutral mourning." Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi has supporters not only in Iran but also in other countries, including Iraq, and 18 satellite television and radio networks affiliated with him operate to promote Shia beliefs. Additionally, the name of Mr. Shirazi appears on the list of teachers of Sheikh Nimr, the executed Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia.