TEHRAN- An ex-Iranian envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said that Saudi Arabia is worried about Iran’s response to the establishment of relations between Riyadh and the Israeli regime.

In an interview with Jamaran news outlet on Saturday, Sabah Zanganeh noted that “that Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties with Iran to be able to pursue the normalization of relations with Israel is not a precise analysis.”

“Such an analysis would be an exaggeration,” he added. “Saudi Arabia is, has been and will be worried about Iran’s reaction. The other countries which have pursued the same policy are still concerned about Iran’s stance, too,” he averred.

Additionally, the ex-envoy addressed Riyadh’s attitude on Washington as saying, “Saudi Arabia seeks to gain concessions from the United States; namely, it seeks the privilege of atomic energy enrichment from the U.S.”

He stated that the Saudis were making an effort to obtain concessions in order to justify their choice. 

“The Saudis want Israel’s cutting-edge technologies as well as a trade and oil transit line to the Mediterranean,” he said.

The former Iranian OIC ambassador remarked that the improvement in ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia “left the Saudis without any excuses to gain more concessions and justify forming an alliance with Israel.”

“Israel, for its part, lost an element which it used to provoke Arab countries to adopt harsh stances against Iran,” he added. 

In a meeting with a group of foreign guests attending a Muslim unity conference in Tehran on Monday, The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Iran aims to further strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia with the purpose of blocking normalization with the Zionist regime of Israel.

He continued, “Today, we are witnessing the resumption of Iran-Saudi relations, our intention is to have deep and extensive relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia with an eye on the interests of the Islamic world and with the aim of disappointing the enemy and blocking the way to normalize relations.”

Back in September, Iran’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, said that Tehran views Saudi Arabia as a “strategic partner” in the West Asia region. 

In remarks to the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Enayati said, “We consider the Kingdom a strategic partner of great importance within the framework of the good neighborliness policy pursued by the current government.”

Enayati told the Saudi paper that he intended to dedicate his efforts in the upcoming period to enhance and foster relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

He emphasized that both sides are strongly determined and sincerely willing to develop these relations, expressing optimism about a promising future.

The ambassador pointed out that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had instructed him to do his utmost “to strengthen brotherly and friendly relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”