Saudi Arabia does not want a war with Iran, but would respond “with strength and determination” if Iran decides to start one, a top Saudi official said yesterday.
“We don’t want a war in any way, but at the same time we won’t allow Iran to continue its hostile policies toward the kingdom,” Saudi Arabian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Riyadh early yesterday morning. “We want peace and stability.”
The commander of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, General Hossein Salami, said his country is not looking for war, but is not afraid of a confrontation, either.
Recent incidents have “made the extent of the enemy’s strength clear,” he said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated significantly over the past two weeks after the US accelerated the dispatch of an aircraft carrier and moved B-52 bombers to the region, citing intelligence reports of unspecified threats from Iran that have been disputed by some key allies.
Last week, several ships, including two Saudi vessels, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they made their way toward the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s foremost oil shipping chokepoint.
Al-Jubeir began his news conference — called suddenly after midnight — by listing a series of terrorist attacks in which he said Iran had played a role over the past few decades.
The Iranian government “is not looking for stability or security in the region,” he said, adding that Yemen’s Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, had launched more than 200 missiles into Saudi Arabia over the past few years.
The Houthis also were behind a drone attack on Saudi oil installations last week, in which the drones were supplied by Iran, he said.
“We won’t stand with our hands bound,” al-Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and Iran should determine what the path will be.”
Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has called on the Gulf Cooperation Council members and Arab League nations to two emergency meetings on Thursday next week over the recent attacks, according to Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regional allies welcomed the Saudi invitation.
Additional reporting by AFP
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