Zarif: Saudi Strategy is to Continue and Intensify Tensions in the Region

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to undermine the nuclear agreement and escalating tensions in the region in an article published in the American newspaper 'The New York Times' on Monday, January 21. Zarif stated that Saudi Arabia is concerned about resolving Iran's nuclear issue, as he claims that with the resolution of this crisis, the real threat to the world, namely Saudi Arabia's active support for violent extremists, will become evident. He also emphasized that since the interim Geneva agreement to resolve Iran's nuclear dispute in 2013, Saudi Arabia has made every effort to prevent the resolution of this issue. He said, 'Some in Riyadh not only continue their efforts to prevent normalization but are determined to drag the entire region towards confrontation.' The Iranian Foreign Minister further stated, 'Let us not forget that almost all perpetrators of terrorist acts since the September 11 attacks in 2001 to the recent shooting in San Bernardino in 2015, as well as nearly all members of extremist Islamic groups like Al-Qaeda and Jabhat al-Nusra, have been either Saudi nationals or funded in some way by oil dollars to promote anti-Islamic messages of hatred and sectarianism for decades.' Zarif added that Saudi Arabia's strategy to undermine the nuclear agreement and continue and even escalate tensions in the region has three main characteristics: pressure on the West; support for instability in the region through the war in Yemen and backing extremist groups; and direct provocation of Iran. Following the wave of protests in Arab countries in the Middle East known as the 'Arab Spring,' relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia soured. However, after the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, and the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, tensions between the two countries entered a new phase. Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic relations with Iran, followed by countries like Bahrain, Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti also severing ties with Tehran. Riyadh and Tehran are indirectly opposed to each other in conflicts in countries like Syria and Yemen. While Iran supports Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, Saudi Arabia supports opposition groups there. In his note, Zarif stated that Iranian government officials at the highest level explicitly condemned the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad. He added that Iran took immediate actions regarding the judicial handling of those responsible for these attacks. According to Zarif, some officials who failed to ensure the security of the Saudi embassy faced disciplinary action, and investigations to prevent such attacks have begun. The Iranian Foreign Minister further accused Saudi Arabia of trying to provoke Iran over the past three years, citing the sexual harassment of two Iranian teenagers at an airport and the deaths of Iranian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. Zarif criticized the execution of Sheikh Nimr, stating that 'barbarism is evident.' While in Saudi Arabia, a state executioner beheaded 47 people in one day, masked men in other countries behead with knives. The Iranian Foreign Minister continued that Tehran does not wish to escalate tensions in the region and aims to reduce tensions and create a coalition to counter common threats, namely extremism. In conclusion, Zarif stated that Saudi leaders must choose between two options: continuing to support extremism and ethnic and sectarian hatred or supporting stability in the region. While Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of escalating tensions in the region, Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, accuse Tehran of interfering in their internal affairs. On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers criticized Iran's interference in Arab countries' internal affairs, warning Tehran that if these 'interventions' continue, they should expect stronger reactions. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Minister, also stated that Iran must decide how it wants to be a neighbor to Arab countries, 'a good neighbor' or 'a neighbor that seeks chaos.' Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, also noted that cutting economic and diplomatic relations with Iran is just the first step, and Riyadh intends to consult with its regional and international allies about further actions against Tehran. In this context, the Arab League condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites in Iran.