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Region Paying for Riyadh’s Mistakes

Region Paying for Riyadh’s Mistakes
Region Paying for Riyadh’s Mistakes

Saudi Arabia is to blame for the Middle East's catastrophic situation that has affected all regional countries, a lawmaker said after Riyadh's top diplomat made fresh accusations against Tehran of destabilizing the conflict-ridden region.

"Unfortunately, all the regional countries are paying for the Saudis' wrong policies,"  Morteza Saffari, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also told ICANA on Tuesday.

"Instead of mending their ways and apologizing for their actions, they are accusing other countries."

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Paris on Monday that he was positive about the way the incoming US administration wanted to restore American influence in the world, contain Iran and fight the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.

"We are optimistic about the incoming administration and look forward to working with it in all areas that are a concern for both of us," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"We will look at the Trump administration's view as articulated. Wanting to restore America's role in the world, we welcome this. Wanting to defeat ISIS (another abbreviation referring to IS), absolutely. Wanting to contain Iran ... absolutely."

Jubeir should have remembered to add, "Shaming Saudi Arabia for backing the IS terrorist groups' crimes in Iraq and Syria, definitely. Extracting billions of dollars in compensation from Riyadh for the victims of 9/11 bombings by Saudi terrorists, categorically. Prosecuting the Saudis for war crimes in Yemen, certainly."   

Saffari said the renewed accusations reflect Riyadh's frustration as it has failed to limit the Islamic Republic's clout in the region.

  Saudi Desperation

"Jubeir's remarks show that Saudis have not been able to undermine Iran's regional influence despite all their tension-raising activities in the region. This has driven the desperate Saudi officials toward the Americans."

The Saudis are hanging on to the last straw—hoping against hope that Trump will help the Saudis sweep the regional mess under the American carpet.

Relations between Iran and the Arab kingdom worsened after hundreds of people, many of them Iranians, died in a crush in the 2015 Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

Iran blamed the disaster on the organizers' incompetence and did not send pilgrims to last year's hajj due to safety concerns. Ties deteriorated further when Saudi Arabia executed a top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr without following due process a year ago.

Angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi diplomatic missions and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations.

"Our relationship with Iran is tense and it's in function [sic] of its [alleged] aggressive and hostile policies. It would be wonderful to live in peace and harmony with Iran, but it takes two to tango," Jubeir said, speaking in English.

"We can't be subject to death and destruction and expect to turn the other cheek. We tried, but it didn't work," he claimed.

Jubeir added that proposed talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Syria were worth testing. He stressed that Riyadh will not abandon "moderate" militants fighting to topple the democratically-elected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The objective is to arrive at a ceasefire and move on to the political process. Let's test it. So far it hasn't succeeded," he said.

The Saudi-allied terrorists have been pushed out of most areas they had initially grabbed in Iraq and Syria, and were forced to agree to a ceasefire, but Riyadh refuses to see the writing on the wall.

The Astana talks, which are backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey, are due to take place later this month, with opposition factions set to hold face-to-face talks with a Syrian government delegation.

 

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