Riyadh Summit Aimed at Whitewashing Saudi Problems: Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman described Saudi Arabia’s plan to convene a summit of Arab leaders and US president in Riyadh as an attempt to cover up the many problems in the kingdom, which he said feels so isolated.
The Saudi kingdom’s isolation in the wake of its domestic problems and those arising in Yemen and elsewhere in the region has forced the Al Saud rulers to convene meetings, like the upcoming one in Riyadh, to cover up their troubles and portray a different image of the country, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.
The Saudi regime, which plays a major role in generating and promoting extremist ideologies and has been even convicted by a US court, is attempting to draw attention away from the realities by holding such gatherings, he added.
Slamming the Riyadh summit as being in line with the Israeli policies and plots in the region, Qassemi reminded Saudi officials that such methods would never resolve the problems fundamentally, and the participants will go their own way just days after such gatherings.
He also recommended US President Donald Trump, who is going to attend the Riyadh summit, not to make the same mistakes he used to criticize his predecessors for.
The spokesman further warned the Muslim states invited to the Riyadh summit against the moves that could create rift within the Islamic world, urging vigilance in the face of Zionist plots for driving a wedge among Islamic countries.
Meanwhile, Qassemi voiced Iran’s readiness to launch talks with Saudi Arabia, stressing that the Islamic Republic does not seek escalation of tensions.
Riyadh has made “strategic mistakes” in the region and should make up for them, he underlined.
Saudi Arabia has invited Arab leaders and Donald Trump to a summit in Riyadh on May 21.
During his trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump is set to conclude a series of arms deals with the kingdom worth more than $100 billion, an unnamed senior White House Official told Reuters on Friday. According to the official, the US could boost the kingdom’s defense capabilities with a package that may surpass $300 billion over a decade.