Iran Hits Back at Saudi Claims of Being ’Occupying’ Forces in Syria

Local Editor

Iran hit back on Tuesday at claims from Saudi Arabia that Tehran withdraw its "occupying" forces from Syria and insisted no country was more committed to confronting extremists in the region.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at odds over Syria since the conflict broke out in 2011.

Responding to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal's comments that Iran was "part of the problem, not the solution" in Syria, Tehran rejected the claim.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is the most important country in the region committed to the fight against terrorism," Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying on the website of state television.

"Iran has helped the governments of Iraq and Syria fight against terrorism within the framework of international law," he added.

"We recommend that Saudi Arabia pay attention to the plots of the enemies of the region... and play a positive role," Amir-Abdollahian said, without elaborating.

Iran has accused Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries of aiding the extremists' initial rise in Syria.

Saudi Arabia and four other Arab nations are now taking part in or giving support to air strikes by the US-led coalition in Syria that claims to be fighting against so-called "Daesh" [ISIL] militants.

Furthermore, noting the present situation in Yemen, Amir-Abdollahian said it is an "internal affair".
As to the political crisis in Bahrain, Amir-Abdollahian said, "If Riyadh had stopped its military presence in Bahrain, it could have been possible to resolve the country's crisis through a diplomatic solution, halt public suppression and have a national reconciliation."

The Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers met in New York before the UN General Assembly last month [September] to agree on what was billed as "a new page in relations between the two countries." The encounter was the first between the top diplomats since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came to power in August 2013.

However, Saud al-Faisal on Monday hit out at Tehran, saying that "in many conflicts, Iran is part of the problem, not the solution," saying that, "In this case, we can say that Iranian forces in Syria are "occupying" forces."

"If Iran wants to be part of the solution in Syria, it has to pull its forces from Syria. The same applies elsewhere, whether in Yemen or Iraq," he has said. 

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team