Iran and Saudi Arabia one step closer to war after Tehran warns rival not to mess with ‘the might of the Islamic republic’ as ballistic missile crisis escalates
The comments came after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of delivering missiles to Yemeni rebels for use against targets in his kingdom.
IRANIAN President Hassan Rouhani warned Saudi Arabia it will achieve nothing by threatening the “might” of his country as the war of words between the rivals reaches breaking point.
“You know the might and place of the Islamic republic. People more powerful than you have been unable to do anything against the Iranian people,” he said today.
President Hassan Rouhani warned off Saudi Arabia
“The United States and their allies have mobilised all their capabilities against us and achieved nothing,” he added.
Rouhani appeared to be alluding to the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, in which revolutionary Iran successfully resisted an invasion by Saddam Hussein’s regime supported by the West.
His comments came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of delivering missiles to Yemeni rebels for use against targets in his kingdom in an act of “direct military aggression”.
Iran strongly denied supplying any missiles to the rebels saying that it would have been impossible to do so in any case in the face of a Saudi-led air and sea blockade.
The Saudi Arabian military shot down a missile fired at King Khalid International Airport
Iran strongly denied supplying any missiles to the rebels
Rouhani reiterated that Iran wanted a peaceful settlement of the conflict between the rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and of other wars around the region that have placed it at loggerheads with Riyadh.
“We want the welfare and development of Yemen, Iraq and Syria, and of Saudi Arabia too. There are no other paths forward than friendship, brotherhood and mutual assistance,” he said.
“If you think that Iran is not your friend and that the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) are, you are making a strategic and analytical error.”
He spoke as the US also pointed the finger at Iran accusing the country of supplying rebels with the ballistic missile which struck the Saudi Arabian capital last week.
The Saudi Arabian military shot down a missile fired at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to local reports.
The White House says it condemns the Tehran’s activities and stands with Saudi Arabia against its aggression and “blatant” violations of international law.
It says missile systems were not present in Yemen before the civil war there, alleging that Iran must have provided them.
The statement also urges the United Nations to review evidence that Iran is perpetuating the war in Yemen to further its regional ambitions.
The remarks came one day after Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said that a ballistic missile fired at the kingdom by Yemeni rebels was a “direct military aggression by the Iranian regime”.
A Saudi-led military coalition has been at war with the Iranian-backed Houthis for more than two years.
The comments came after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of delivering missiles to Yemeni rebels for use against targets in his kingdom.
IRANIAN President Hassan Rouhani warned Saudi Arabia it will achieve nothing by threatening the “might” of his country as the war of words between the rivals reaches breaking point.
“You know the might and place of the Islamic republic. People more powerful than you have been unable to do anything against the Iranian people,” he said today.
President Hassan Rouhani warned off Saudi Arabia
“The United States and their allies have mobilised all their capabilities against us and achieved nothing,” he added.
Rouhani appeared to be alluding to the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, in which revolutionary Iran successfully resisted an invasion by Saddam Hussein’s regime supported by the West.
His comments came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of delivering missiles to Yemeni rebels for use against targets in his kingdom in an act of “direct military aggression”.
Iran strongly denied supplying any missiles to the rebels saying that it would have been impossible to do so in any case in the face of a Saudi-led air and sea blockade.
The Saudi Arabian military shot down a missile fired at King Khalid International Airport
Iran strongly denied supplying any missiles to the rebels
Rouhani reiterated that Iran wanted a peaceful settlement of the conflict between the rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and of other wars around the region that have placed it at loggerheads with Riyadh.
“We want the welfare and development of Yemen, Iraq and Syria, and of Saudi Arabia too. There are no other paths forward than friendship, brotherhood and mutual assistance,” he said.
“If you think that Iran is not your friend and that the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) are, you are making a strategic and analytical error.”
He spoke as the US also pointed the finger at Iran accusing the country of supplying rebels with the ballistic missile which struck the Saudi Arabian capital last week.
The Saudi Arabian military shot down a missile fired at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, according to local reports.
The White House says it condemns the Tehran’s activities and stands with Saudi Arabia against its aggression and “blatant” violations of international law.
It says missile systems were not present in Yemen before the civil war there, alleging that Iran must have provided them.
The statement also urges the United Nations to review evidence that Iran is perpetuating the war in Yemen to further its regional ambitions.
The remarks came one day after Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said that a ballistic missile fired at the kingdom by Yemeni rebels was a “direct military aggression by the Iranian regime”.
A Saudi-led military coalition has been at war with the Iranian-backed Houthis for more than two years.