Iran denounces Saudi Arabia 'blame game' at UNGA

The Saudi monarch used his statement to the 75th UN General Assembly (UNGA) to deliver a blistering attack against Iran, blaming the Islamic Republic for much of the Middle East’s instability, Press TV reported.

The video of speech was released on Wednesday showing the aging monarch sitting at his office as he struggled to read the text from papers, which he was grasping with both hands, without looking at the camera.

The 84-year-old repeated a host of baseless accusations against Iran ranging from “sponsoring terrorism” to seeking weapons of mass destruction.

Strongly dismissing the king’s claims, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh highlighted the Saudi regime’s atrocities and civilian massacres in Yemen, of which King Salman made no reference during the speech.

The Saudis are engaging in such a blame game to “escape responsibility for their own war crimes against Yemeni women and children,” he said. “The continuous military and political defeats in Yemen have sent Saudi Arabia into a state of delirium.”

“As the birthplace and origin of the ideas of Takfiri terrorist groups and as the main financial and logistical supporter of terrorism in the region, Saudi Arabia has, for many years, been pursuing a policy of blame games and distorting the realities to escape accountability for its crimes,” Khatibzadeh said.

He also noted that the Islamic Republic, in line with its responsible regional approach, has repeatedly warned the world about “the Saudis’ miscalculations — which have inflicted heavy costs on the region — and still stresses its principled policy of strengthening diplomatic and dialog-based processes in the region and developing relations with all its neighbors.”

Additionally on Thursday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht-Ravanchi categorically dismissed the Saudi King’s baseless accusations against Iran.

He also described the Riyadh regime as the real “source of instability” in the region and “the major sponsor” of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-1988 imposed war on Iran.

“By accusing others, Saudi Arabia is desperately trying to divert attention from its dark and long history of widely supporting terrorism, spreading extremist beliefs, sowing the seeds of discord and hatred, taking destabilizing actions in the region, and committing crimes during the aggression on Yemen over the past six years,” Takht-Ravanchi said.

The Iranian envoy further said that despite numerous violations of international law, the kingdom is still using famine as a warfare method by preventing the delivery of fuel, food and medicine to the Yemeni people.

Source: Iran Daily