Saudi dangerous claims contrary to reality: Iran FM

EghtesadOnline: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed as “false and dangerous” accusations by Saudi Arabia's crown prince that Tehran has launched a “direct military aggression” against the kingdom that could be an act of war.

News ID: ۷۴۴۴۱۴

13 November 2017

According to PressTV, Zarif rejected Prince Mohammad bin Salman's claims in a phone call with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Tuesday after a missile was fired by Yemen's Ansarullah Houthi fighters aimed at an airport in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh.

The top Iranian diplomat pointed to Saudi Arabia’s acts of provocation in the Middle East, saying that the kingdom’s accusations were contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter.

The Yemeni army on Sunday confirmed that it had targeted Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a long-range Borkan H2 ballistic missile.

"Our Yemeni forces succeeded in launching a missile, a Borkan H2 long-range missile, at King Khalid International Airport in northeastern Riyadh, which was in response to the massacres committed by the US-Saudi coalition in Yemen,” said Colonel Aziz Rashed, a spokesman for the Yemeni army.

Saudi Arabia has also confirmed the launch, saying, however, that its air defense intercepted the missile, bringing it down north of the airport.

The Saudi crown prince, in a telephone conversation with the British foreign secretary on Tuesday, alleged that Iran was involved in supplying weapons to the Houthis, which he said “is a direct military aggression” by Iran against Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected the coalition’s “destructive, irresponsible, provocative and baseless” allegation on Monday, saying Yemenis had shown an “independent” reaction to the Saudi military attacks on their country.

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has also rejected reports about Iran’s involvement in the missile attack on the Saudi airport.

“The enemy uses every opportunity to make allegations against Iran and we definitely reject this issue,” Hatami said.

The Iranian foreign minister said on Monday that Saudi Arabia was blaming Iran for the consequences of its "wars of aggression," taking Riyadh to task for its destabilizing role in the region.

In a post on his official Twitter account, Zarif said Saudi Arabia was engaged in “wars of aggression" and destabilizing behavior, but blamed Iran for the consequences.