Zarif: Iran and Saudi Arabia Should Collaborate to End Crises in Syria and Yemen

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, who is attending the Davos Forum in Switzerland, stated on Wednesday, January 29, that Tehran and Riyadh "must cooperate to end the crises in Syria and Yemen." According to Reuters, Mr. Zarif, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, referred to the successful cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon. He added that "the two countries have effectively managed to move the presidential election process in Lebanon forward." As reported by Reuters, Michel Aoun, a Christian leader in Lebanon, was elected as the country's president last week. Mr. Aoun is a close ally of the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, which is supported by Iran. Tehran welcomed Michel Aoun's election. In another part of his speech, Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "There is no reason for Iran and Saudi Arabia to have a hostile policy against each other." The Iranian Foreign Minister pointed out that the two countries could collaborate to end the dire conditions of the people in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and any other part of the region. Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposing factions in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain, each accusing the other of interfering in these countries' affairs. Relations between the two countries were severed after the execution of a dissident cleric in Saudi Arabia and the attack on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. A day before Mr. Zarif's remarks, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, criticized Saudi Arabia in a press conference, stating that the country "started the problem" and said, "It is in Saudi Arabia's interest to end the attacks on Yemen and the interference in Bahrain." Nonetheless, Mr. Rouhani expressed hope that "the roots of the issue will be resolved because we want peace and stability in the region." He noted that "Iran does not intend to interfere in Saudi internal affairs and does not want this country to be eliminated from the region," adding, "When Saudi Arabia attacks and intervenes in neighboring countries and terrorists use their resources, problems arise." Nevertheless, Hassan Rouhani stated, "If Saudi Arabia makes decisions, we are also ready to help Saudi Arabia and create a more stable and united region." "If Mr. Trump exits the JCPOA, the world will not come to an end." According to the Associated Press, Iran's Foreign Minister, in part of his remarks in Davos, said that Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, will be "surprised" if he attempts to renegotiate the JCPOA. Mr. Trump called the Iran nuclear deal "the worst deal ever" during his campaign and stated that he would either renew negotiations regarding the JCPOA or tear it up. Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, have stated that if the U.S. tears up the JCPOA, Iran will set it on fire. Hassan Rouhani also said on Tuesday that the JCPOA is not something that "one person or country can say they don't like." Regarding renegotiating the JCPOA, Mr. Rouhani stated, "Mr. Trump, as the President-elect of the United States, has made statements about the JCPOA that he is not happy with or that it is not a good deal, etc. These are mostly slogans, and I doubt anything will happen in practice when he enters the White House because this agreement is not bilateral." Nevertheless, he predicted that we might witness "breach of commitment regarding the JCPOA" in the future. Iran and the P5+1 reached an agreement in July last year in Vienna, Austria, to resolve Tehran's nuclear program, under which Tehran suspended many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension or lifting of international sanctions against it. This agreement has been implemented since January of last year. According to the Associated Press, Mohammad Javad Zarif also stated that if Mr. Trump exits the JCPOA, "the world will not come to an end." He said, "We will wait" and "it is still too early to comment." The Iranian Foreign Minister also criticized the Obama administration for not fully implementing U.S. commitments under the JCPOA, referring to the problems of Iranian banks. Washington has previously denied these allegations. Meanwhile, Iranian news agencies reported that Mr. Zarif and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to these reports, the JCPOA and Syria were two topics in the conversation between the Iranian Foreign Minister and the EU's foreign policy chief.