TEHRAN – Es’haq Al-e- Habib, the Iranian deputy ambassador to the UN, said on Friday that the Saudi regime is a “source of terrorism and extremism”.

His comments came as response to Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Assaf’s Friday remarks in the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in which he leveled terrorism charges against Iran and calling for further financial pressure on the country.

“It was Saudi Arabia and not Iran which provided billions of dollars worth of arms to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and affiliated terrorists in Syria,” Press TV quoted Al-e- Habib as saying.

He said that Saudi “despots” cannot go on forever making accusations against Iran as a cover for failures stemming from their “primitive medieval dogmas”.  

The diplomat added that Saudi Arabia’s “destructive” policies should not be overlooked despite the regime’s tendency to blame others for its mistakes.

Al-e Habib further pointed to the high number of Saudi nationals among the main operatives committing the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, adding that the Saudi regime has turned into a hotbed for “radicalism,” with many terrorist leaders being known to have studied in Saudi-backed schools.

At least 15 of the 19 hijackers who flew passenger planes into the World Trade Center on that occasion came from Saudi Arabia. There are also numerous official reports that suggest the attackers were funded by some Saudi royals.

NA/PA