Saudis seeking to undermine nuclear deal benefits: Larijani

July 24, 2016 - 21:40
Majlis speaker says what Saudis are doing is ‘open hostility’

TEHRAN – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia and certain Western countries are taking “obstructive” measures to prevent Iran from benefiting the advantages of the nuclear deal which removes sanctions on Iran.

“Evils of Saudis and certain Western countries have created obstacles so that Iran would not be able to use the post-nuclear deal conditions,” Larijani told a gathering in Qom, the city which he represents in the Majlis.

What Saudis are doing in the region against Iran is “open hostility”, the speaker added.

In a recent interview with Euro News, Adel al-Jubeir accused Iran of hostility, claiming, “35 years of Iranian aggression against Saudi Arabia and its allies is enough and we cannot tolerate that anymore.”

Al-Jubeir accused Iran of activities in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq as well as sending arms to the Houthis in Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi reacted to Jubeir on Friday by saying, “Jubeir makes ridiculous statements about Iran whenever he is frustrated,” and advised him to think twice about “the repercussions of his statements.”

Jubeir’s statement came a few days after the U.S. government released 28 pages of a congressional report on the September 11 attacks, that detail possible ties between the Saudi Arabian government and the 9/11 hijackers.

The document lists various forms of assistance provided by Saudi agents to the hijackers, including help finding a flight school and various forms of financial support when the hijackers arrived in the United States. Many of the findings in the report have not been fully vetted as several of the Saudi agents named in the 28 pages have refused to cooperate.

SP/PA