Saudi FM slams Iran’s ‘aggressive’ statements

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Monday denounced “aggressive statements” by Iran, after Tehran accused Saudi ally Bahrain of stoking Gulf tensions by making unfounded allegations against it.

“This is unacceptable to us,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair said during a joint news conference with visiting EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

On Sunday, Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham accused Bahrain of making “unfounded allegations” aimed at creating “tension in the region”, after the interior ministry in Manama said it had detained two men accused of trying to smuggle weapons from Iran.

“This does not represent the intentions of a country seeking good relations,” Jubair said of the Iranian statements.

“These statements are escalating and they are many.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied, during a visit Sunday to Kuwait, as “baseless” Bahrain's claims that it had detained two men for trying to smuggle weapons from Iran.

“I openly say the claims are totally wrong,” he said.

“The timing of the announcement is an attempt to prevent any progress in cooperation between Iran and other Gulf states,” Zarif said.