Rouhani urges Saudi Arabia to stop "hostilities" towards Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday urged Saudi Arabia to cease what he called their "hostile" policies towards the Islamic republic, Press TV reported.

Rouhani said Iran supports development of regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, adding that "there is no way other than brotherhood, friendship and helping each other."

"This is a strategic mistake and miscalculation to think that Iran is not your friend, but the United States and Israel are," Rouhani said in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

"Our path in the region is to establish and promote stability; we want the geographic borders not to change, nations to decide for themselves, and bombardments and aggression against regional nations to be stopped," he said.

Rouhani further said that the Yemenis' use of their own weapons is a response to the bombardment of their cities at a large scale.

"Well, stop bombings and see whether or not the Yemeni nation responds positively. You do not allow delivery of medicine, food and UN assistance to the Yemenis. Is what you are doing reasonable and Islamic?" he said alluding to Saudi Arabia.

He dismissed Riyadh allegations about Iran's interference in regional countries, and said that such claims came while the Islamic Republic has been fighting terrorism in Iraq and Syria upon the request of those countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday dismissed the accusations of Iran's direct aggression made by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as "false and dangerous."

The Saudi crown prince's accusations that Iran launched "direct military aggression" against the kingdom are contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter, Zarif was quoted by Press TV as saying.

Mohammed bin Salman earlier on Tuesday accused Iran of launching direct military aggression against his country, in a form of supplying missiles to the Shiite Houthi militia in Yemen.

source: AFP