Iran: Saudi Arabia, UAE Repeating Mistakes, to Suffer in Long Run

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said, in a Sunday meeting with Mahmoud in Tehran, that recent summits in Mecca did not yield any result for their host, adding that the behavior of the Saudis and Emiratis will prove to be harmful to them in the long run.

He added the recent meetings hosted by Saudi Arabia in holy Mecca showed that those Arab states have kept on making their previous mistakes.

Larijani expressed his regret over the Arab states’ move in getting together against Syria, adding that their coalition failed at the hands of Syria’s resistance.

The Iranian parliament speaker added that Saudi Arabia failed in achieving its goals through Mecca meetings, expressing his appreciation to Iraqi president and the Syrian government for their support for Iran during the Mecca meetings.

He further noted that Saudis and Emiratis’ behavior will have repercussions and inflict harm on them in the long term.

The Syrian ambassador, for his part, referred to the statement that the Syrian government issued during Mecca summit of Arab states, adding that the recent meetings in Saudi Arabia did not yield any results.

Mahmoud said that the host of the meeting should know that military equipment does not help much in today’s wars against the Resistance Front.

He further noted that any war in the region would not be beneficial for Donald Trump and his votes in the elections as polls show, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the ‘strategic basis of the region’ and it can manage the situation.

“It is very important today to consolidate the achievements of the Resistance Front in Syria and defeat the US and Trump’s plans,” the Syrian diplomat further noted.

Early on Friday, Iraq opposed the final statement of an emergency meeting of the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in Saudi Arabia, which condemned what it called Iran’s “interference” in countries of the Middle East region.

The statements mainly cited concerns about the recent sabotage attacks against several ships off the UAE.

Both Saudi and Emirati officials have blamed the mysterious “sabotage” attacks on Iran while Tehran denies any involvement.

“The absence of a firm deterrent stance against Iranian behavior is what led to the escalation we see today,” King Salman told the two consecutive meetings late on Thursday night.

He also pointed to Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs as sources of concern, and expressed concern about what he described as Iran’s threats to cripple global oil supplies by closing down the Strait of Hormuz in case the US seeks to zero out the Islamic Republic’s oil exports.

Iraq, however, which maintains close ties with neighboring Iran and has strong ties with Washington as well, objected to the communiqué, which required “non-interference in other countries” as a pre-condition for cooperation with Tehran.

President Salih asked the gathering to support his country’s stability, arguing that rising tensions with Iran could cause war. He voiced hope that Iran’s security would not be targeted.

“We are watching before our eyes the escalation of a regional and international crisis which can turn into war that will engulf all. If the crisis is not managed well, then we will be faced with the danger of a regional and international confrontation which will bring tragedy to our countries,” Salih stated.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a Muslim country that is a neighbor to Iraq and Arabs. It is certain that we do not wish the security of Iran to be targeted. We share a common border that is 1,400 km long and a long history and relations, and it is also certain that the security of a fellow Islamic country is in the interest of Arab and Islamic countries. The region needs stability based on a mechanism of joint security that guarantees non-interference in internal affairs and the rejection of violence and extremism,” he added.

The Mecca communiqué also said the Riyadh regime had all the rights to defend itself against retaliatory drone strikes by Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah fighters, after a number of drones flew hundreds of kilometers into Saudi Arabia and targeted two of the kingdom’s oil pumping stations earlier this month.

The oil-rich kingdom also accused Tehran of ordering the drone strikes against its oil facilities.

Iran has vehemently denied both charges.