Iran’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the Saudi foreign minister’s accusation that Tehran “backs terrorism”, saying the ringleaders of terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and the self-styled Islamic State are in fact guided by Wahhabism preached in the kingdom.
Bahram Qasemi, spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, was reacting on Thursday to recent remarks by Adel al-Jubeir, who rehashed the claim that Tehran is supporting the Al-Qaeda terror network and terrorism in general, Press TV reported.
Jubeir, who was speaking during a visit to London on Wednesday, also accused the Islamic Republic of interfering in the affairs of other countries, including Yemen and Syria .
The Iranian official said Jubeir’s “ridiculous and repetitious” allegations come while senior figures of such terror groups as Taliban, Al-Qaeda and IS, which are wreaking havoc and slaughtering people in the region, are either Saudi citizens or influenced by the extremist Wahhabi ideology disseminated by the kingdom worldwide.
“This is a bitter reality to which the entire world and the conscience of all humankind are gradually waking up to,” Qasemi said.
Sinister War
The diplomat added that the Al Saud regime keeps accusing others of meddling in the domestic affairs of their neighbors, while Riyadh, itself, has long been waging a “cruel, destructive and sinister” war against innocent civilians in Yemen to reinstate its puppet Abd-Rabbuh Manur Hadi.
“The ongoing unrest plaguing the Middle East and the oppression of innocent people in the region are rooted in such foreign interference,” said Qasemi, stressing that the policies pursued by supporters of extremist ideologies only fuel the chaos.
Earlier, the Saudi regime also sent troops to Bahrain to suppress people’s protest against the oppressive policies of Manama.
This is not the first time the Saudi foreign minister levels such accusations against Iran.
In July, Qasemi slammed the Saudi government as “the founding father” of terror groups like Al-Qaeda and IS in response to Jubeir who had accused the Islamic Republic of supporting terrorism back then.
The Saudi government has been nurturing and exporting the radical Wahhabi ideology, which serves as a basis for the creeds of takfiri groups operating across the Middle East.
A takfiri is a hardliner who accuses other Muslims that do not follow their extreme interpretation of Islam of apostasy punishable by death.
Observers say the Saudi government uses takfiri militants as proxies in pursuit of their own objectives in the region, particularly in Syria where Riyadh has been seeking to facilitate the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Takfiri groups have many sympathizers inside Saudi Arabia. There have been reports of fundraising campaigns active in the kingdom in support of such groups.
