Saudi urges ‘great nation’ Iran to change its policies

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Friday that Iran is not respecting international law when it continues to back the Syrian regime, the Lebanese Shiite militant group and political party Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi militia group, urging Tehran to change its policies.

“We see Iran intervening in Syria and supporting Hezbollah and the Houthis, and it is behind some of the operations threatening national security of the region,” Jubeir, who is currently visiting Japan, said.

“We do not see changes in Iran’s policies,” he added. “We see that it is trying to send in arms to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iran should decide if it is in war or the opposite?

If it is in war and it does not respect international law and goes on with its plans, then it not possible to be able to deal with it.”

He also urged Iran to return to the “family” of international community to weave new relations with regional countries.

“We wish from Iran, a great nation with great history and great people, to be able to change its policies which it built in 1979 so it can be a new member in the international community, weaving new policies with it.”

Saudi criticism of Iran’s role in the Middle East is not new.

In June, Jubeir had warned against Iranian efforts to “destabilize” the Middle East.