TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior foreign policy advisor to the Leader, said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia’s true intentions in the Middle East region have been disclosed.

Saudi Arabia has been backing governments which have caused crises in the region, Velayati said during a speech at the Islamic Awakening Supreme Council meeting in Baghdad.

Velayati was addressing the conference as the Iraqi security forces have launched an intensive attack against Daesh militants in Mosul. The operation, started on October 17, is being carried out by the Iraqi army along with Kurdish forces and the popular mobilization forces.

“They [Saudis] are not sincere in their fights (against terrorism); they turn blind eye to events while the Syrian people are fighting terrorists and the popular mobilization forces are cooperating (with the army) in liberating Mosul.” 

Velayati, a veteran politician who held the post of foreign minister from 1981 to 1997, also said it is absolutely necessary to block all the ways to Daesh militants who are fleeing from Mosul.

“In this situation, the most important point is that the terrorists do not be given the opportunity to move from Mosul to other regions.” 

Pointing to the Yemeni war, Velayati said, “It has been over one year and a half that the Saudis are bombarding Yemen; however, the Yemenis have not abandoned resistance. We are witnessing many crimes in this country which are being committed by Saudi Arabia.” 

Elsewhere, Velayati said that the Takfiri movement seeks to derail the Islamic Awakening from its rightful path.

He added, “All Muslims are duty bound to counter Takfiris’ destructive ideology and make efforts to root it out.” 

The Takfiris and Zionists seek to disintegrate the regional countries and gain interests from the conflicts in the region, he pointed out.

‘Backing legal governments is Iran policy’

Talking to reporters before the meeting, Velayati said it is Iran’s unchangeable policy to provide advisory help to the legal governments in the region upon request.
 
He added that the Islamic Republic has stood by the regional people in fighting terrorists over the last five years.

NA/PA