- Iranians holding Ashura mourning for Imam Hussein
- Third step: Iran officially informs EU of plan to expand nuclear R&D
- Iran expands nuclear R&D program: Rouhani
- Iran goes ahead in space tech, despite US sanctions: ISA
- Resistance Front undermining Israeli regime power: Top commander
- Iran: 7 crew members of detained UK ship freed
- US addiction to sanction threaten its power: Iran’s Zarif
- Dutch role in 2007 Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear site under scrutiny: Iraian FM Spox.
- Iran: ‘Sustainable Security 2019’ kicks off in Caspian Sea
- Iran’s Zarif leaves Tehran for Moscow
- Shiraz University ranked 1st in liver transplantation: Iranian health official
- Japan’s Abe to meet Iran’s president to discuss easing tension in region
- Downing of US spy drone shattered war threats against Iran: Top IRGC commander
- IAEO head reports development of first ion-therapy hospital in west of Asia
- Iranian Taekwondo team wins 2019 World Cup championship
- US sanctions failed to force Iran to buckle: Report
- Crew fixing Iran oil tanker broken down in Red Sea
- As Iranians hold nerves, US seeks to scare off trade
- Leader expresses concern about Kashmir, urges India to follow fair policy toward Muslim-majority region
- Iran saffron exports down due to smuggling, government restrictions: Exporter
- Iran FM warns US against ‘serious miscalculation’ in Persian Gulf
- Iran’s resistance policy led to release of oil tanker: MP
- Iran in reverse brain drain as top students come home in rising numbers
- Iran official calls for compensation for tanker seizure
- Iran hails N Korea for standing against ‘unilateral’ US demands
- Shia Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Ghadir
- North Korea praises Iran’s anti-US struggle
- Zarif says to meet French president Friday
- Iranian court hearing case of UK oil tanker
- Over half of Japanese voters oppose joining US-led anti-Iran coalition in Persian Gulf: Poll
- IME trade ups by 21 percent in July
- Finland backs INSTEX in defiance of US
- US anti-Iran policy in high seas harms Europeans: LA Times
- Iran, China confer on Syria
- Iran, Finland share views on Persian Gulf dialogue forum: Zarif
- Iran warns US against seizure of oil tanker
- Iraq eager to benefit from Iranian Police’s experience
- Iran planning 3rd step to reduce nuclear commitments: Spokesman
- Leader grants clemency to over 1,000 Iranian inmates
- Registration for Arbaeen Pilgrimage to begin in Iran on Friday
- Iran, Iraq agree to reopen Khosravi border crossing
- Iran deplores suicide attack at Kabul wedding hall
- Iran to hold int'l hand-woven carpets expo
- Zarif meets with Iran-Kuwait Friendship Group members
- Adrian Darya oil tanker not under any sanctions, says Iran envoy
- ‘Iran to stay in nuclear deal as long as its interests are met’
- India envoy happy with positive trend of trade with Iran
- Iran’s annual export of white meat tops 2.5m tons: Minister
- Iranian scientist discovers new state of matter
- Iran, Japan diplomats discuss bilateral ties
- Iran, Ansarullah, European representatives Yemen developments
- ‘Iran to become self-sufficient in producing aircraft engines'
- US issues seizure warrant for Iranian supertanker 'Grace 1'
- Neanderthal tooth unearthed near Iran’s Zagros mountain
- Iran’s Zarif due in Kuwait on Saturday
- US faces humiliating defeat after Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker: Envoy
- Spokesman rejects claim on Iran’s commitment in exchange for tanker release
- Zarif reacts to release of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
- Israel, UAE engaged in secret talks on Iran arranged by US: Report
- US threatens visa ban as Iranian-operated tanker sets to sail from Gibraltar
- Enemies must factor Iran's global power in their calculations: IRGC's chief commander
- Trump’s administration conflicting messages to Iran baffle go-betweens: Report
- Gibraltar releases Iran-operated tanker despite US pressure
TEHRAN, October 23 -A senior Iranian official has voiced support for normalization of ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, but also called on Riyadh to stop its “destructive and unconstructive behavior" in the region.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -A senior Iranian official has voiced support for normalization of ties between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, but also called on Riyadh to stop its “destructive and unconstructive behavior" in the region.
The comments by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, an adviser to Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, came amid wild speculations about the impact of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's visit to Riyadh, including on Iran.
Abadi on Sunday took part at the first meeting of the joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council aimed at enhancing cooperation, that was also attended by US State Secretary Rex Tillerson.
"If relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq are normalized and Riyadh's destructive and unconstructive behavior is halted, it is a positive development," Abdollahian tweeted, in the first reaction of an Iranian official to the visit.
The landmark meeting appears aimed at boosting Saudi Arabia's clout in Iraq, part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen, the French news agency AFP said.
Abdollahian indicated that the Islamic Republic was not worried about rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, saying "the strategic relationship between Tehran and Baghdad is firm and lasting."
After attending the joint Saudi Arabia-Iraq council meeting on Sunday, Tillerson said, "This event highlights the strength and breadth as well as the great potential of the relations between your countries."
However, history, religion and lots of politics stand in the way. Riyadh has had rocky relations with Baghdad and viewed Iraq's proximity to Iran with enmity.
While Iraqi leaders have repeatedly praised Iran's role in helping the Arab country confront the Takfiri menace, they have accused Saudi Arabia of supporting terrorists.
Daesh and other Takfiri groups are influenced by Saudi Arabia’s official radical ideology of Wahhabism, which is known for its lack of tolerance. In March, Fox News cited a senior Iraqi intelligence officer as saying that around 30 percent of Daesh terrorists in Iraq were Saudi nationals.
Back in April, Prime Minister Abadi also said that “every Iraqi citizen has a right to believe that Saudi Arabia is a supporter of terrorism."
As for Iran, Abadi and other Iraqi leaders have famously said that Baghdad would have fallen to Daesh if Tehran had not rushed weapons and military advisers in time when the Arab nation's plea for help from the West went unanswered.
Tillerson, however, accused Iran of destabilizing Iraq at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir after attending the meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Council with Saudi King Salman and Abadi.
"We believe this will in some ways counter some of the unproductive influences of Iran inside of Iraq," the US top diplomat said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to the remarks. "Unfortunately, the Americans do not want to rectify their viewpoint that Iran is a source of stability and peace as well as a campaigner against terrorism in the region.”
The Iranian foreign minister, in South Africa as part of a tour of Africa, expressed regret that US allies have been the root cause of instability and crisis in the region.
Daesh launched its campaign of death and destruction in Iraq in 2014, swiftly taking towns and cities in lightning operations as the US and its allies looked on despite having a military presence in the country after years of occupation.
On Monday, Jean-Pierre Chevènement who served as French defense and interior ministers between 1988 and 2000 said the two Persian Gulf wars waged by the US "which destroyed Iraq created Daesh."
Source:Press Tv
Your Comment