Iran says Saudi comments ‘contradict diplomatic negotiations’

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Zarif. Yasser Al Zayyat / AFP

KUWAIT CITY // Iran's foreign ministry warned on Tuesday that diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh could be damaged by Saudi claims that Tehran is "part of the problem" in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, was responding to accusations from Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud Al Faisal that Iran was at the centre of conflicts across the Middle East and should withdraw its “occupying” forces from Syria.

The comments “contradicts the atmosphere ruling diplomatic negotiations between the two countries,” Mr Abdollahian said.

Iran is helping people throughout the region fight “terrorism within the framework of international laws,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reported him saying.

The statements are reminders that Tehran and Riyadh remain rivals and suspicious of the other’s policies despite finding themselves on the same side in the fight against ISIL.

The two countries have competed for influence in the Middle East for decades. The outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011 exacerbated tensions, with Tehran supporting the regime of Bashar Al Assad and Riyadh backing rebels opposed to his rule.

The rise of ISIL in Iraq and Syria presented the two countries with some room for engagement and several rounds of diplomatic talks took place.

Last month, Prince Saud and Mohammad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in New York and appeared to agree on the need to reset relations due to the threat posed by ISIL.

Yet, Prince Saud’s statements on Monday showed the level of suspicion that still emanates from Riyadh over Iran’s foreign policy. Prince Saud accused Iran of not playing a constructive role in the region. “If Iran wants to be part of the solution, it has to pull its forces from Syria. The same applies elsewhere, whether in Yemen or Iraq,” Prince Saud said.

His comments surprised some analysts considering what had appeared to be a recent improvement in ties and the fact that the two countries are both facing a brutal opponent in ISIL and the rise of extremism in the region.

But Iranian-backed Shiite militias are again playing a powerful role in Iraq and, in Yemen, Houthi rebels believed to be backed by Iran have taken over the capital, Sanaa. In Syria, the Al Assad regime remains in power largely thanks to Iranian support during a three-year war which started after he brutally suppressed a largely Sunni, peaceful uprising against his rule.

Saudi Arabia was angered when the US backed out of airstrikes against the Assad regime after a poisoned gas attack against civilians near Damascus in August 2013.

“While the Saudis have consistently expressed their concern about what they consider to be the ‘meddling’ of Iran in Iraqi affairs, it’s Tehran’s support for Assad’s brutal suppression of the majority Sunni population of Syria that is the major sticking point in Saudi-Iranian relations,” said Fahad Nazer, a Saudi analyst who used to work at Riyadh’s embassy in Washington.

By highlighting Iran’s policies, Prince Saud may be aiming to remind the international community of Iran’s regional ambitions.

“The fate of Assad will not only have a major impact on the state of Saudi-Iranian relations going forward, it could also potentially affect Saudi-US relations as well,” Mr Nazer said.