Iran's mission to UN Security Council dismissed as "baseless" accusations by the Saudi delegation in a council's debate that Tehran is waging an ideological warfare against terrorism.
In a statement to the council's meeting on Wednesday, the Iranian mission said, "It was ironic that [Saudi Arabia] accuses Iran of fanning sectarianism and preaches against it. It is, in fact, quite to the contrary. It is of common knowledge as to where the takfiri ideology comes from and what it exactly seeks."
The statement pointed out that it is common knowledge as to who is practicing this ideology.
"The example of inflammatory statements against different Islamic sects by influential Saudi clerics and officials, including the government-appointed grand Mufti of Mecca, clearly shows who are spreading sectarian rhetoric and inciting sectarian hatred," said the statement, posted on the website of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN.
"It is quite clear who consider themselves the only true believers and who set out to destroy and annihilate other sects in the Islamic world, let alone those outside the Islamic world."
The Iranian mission defended Lebanon's Hezbollah, which was also the target of Saudi accusations, reprimanding the Arab kingdom for having aligned itself with the policies of Israel, a common enemy of the Muslim world.
"It is of common knowledge that Hezbollah is part of the government and parliament of one of the UN member states. And it is the one that helped drive Israeli occupiers out of Lebanon and in numerous cases stood up to and fought the Israeli regime that occupies the Palestinian lands," it said.
Undermining Unity
The Iranian mission expressed astonishment at the Saudi regime finding a common ground with the Israeli regime and making the same claims as the heads of that regime.
"Such statements [by Saudis] go counter to the interest of the Islamic world and damage the unity that we need to build with a view to advancing the wellbeing of the Muslims everywhere," the statement said.
Iranian-Saudi tensions culminated in Riyadh's announcement of a breakup in bilateral diplomatic ties in early January in reaction to the storming of Saudi Arabia's vacant missions by Iranian protestors. The protesters were angered by the illegal Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
The two powerful regional rivals back opposing sides to the disputes in the region. While Iran supports the Iraqi, Syrian and Yemeni governments, Saudi Arabia finances the terrorists fighting against these governments.
