Certain Arab countries in the Middle East are trying to divert attention from the inherent challenges in their systems and seeking to misrepresent Iran as a source of threat, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
In comments at a cultural ceremony in Tehran on Saturday, Zarif added that the regional Arab states' inability to meet public demands has created a tense situation, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Tasnim News Agency reported.
"The Arab world's intelligentsia and the grass roots feel a sense of frustration after developments in recent years and the lack of proper reaction by their rulers," Zarif explained, saying the governments are trying to whitewash their inability by steering the public hatred toward sectarian and ethnic rift.
"Today, they [Arab states] are facing a critical challenge, which is of course not from Iran," he added.
Zarif stressed that Iran has behaved with dignity over the past three decades, which is a quality of greatness, noting that the harsh behavior and indecent remarks by Saudi rulers are a sign of weakness.
The top Iranian diplomat added that ill-wishers of Iran are entangled in a "strategic failure".
Tensions in ties between Tehran and Riyadh escalated after Saudi Arabia in January executed prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The execution ignited widespread international condemnation, from both political and religious figures.
Angry protesters in Tehran and Mashhad stormed Saudi missions, providing Riyadh with a pretext to sever ties with Tehran. Top Iranian officials condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic premises and the judiciary is prosecuting those involved in the incident.
