Iranian defense minister warns Saudi Arabia against reckless actions
Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan warned Saudi Arabia that Tehran will leave only the Islamic sacred places Mecca and Medina untouched if Riyadh acts thoughtlessly, news agency Tasnim reported, citing the Lebanese TV channel “Al Manar”.
“We advise them (Saudi Arabia) not to do anything foolish. However, if they do something thoughtless, we will not leave even one place (in Saudi Arabia) intact except Mecca and Medina,” Dehghan said, cited by the Iranian news outlet Tasnim.
The Iranian Defense Minister said this after deputy crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia, said that Iran’s desire to “dominate the Islamic world” is an obstacle to dialogue with Saudi Arabia.
In Mohammad bin Salman’s opinion, Iran is trying to reach the Muslim holy place in Saudi Arabia – the Kaaba in Mecca. “We will not wait for military action in Saudi Arabian territory before starting to confront Iran,” he added.
The disagreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia escalated sharply with the start of the Arab Spring in the Middle East in 2011, when Tehran supported Shiite forces, and Saudi Arabia supported the Sunnis who opposed them.
At the start of 2016, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after its diplomatic missions in Iranian cities were attacked, following the execution in Saudi Arabia of well-known Shiite theologian Nimr al-Nimr.