Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Says Dialogue With Iran Is Impossible

[Arabi]

Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince has ruled out any dialogue with Iran, a country he said was busy plotting to control the Muslim world.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister, said in a TV interview to be broadcast later on Tuesday his country could crush Iran-aligned fighters in Yemen where Saudi forces head a coalition of Gulf Arab states intervening in a civil war.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran compete for influence in the Middle East, supporting rival groups in Syria's civil war. In Yemen, Iran denies providing financial or military support to the Houthis who are fighting government forces allied with Saudi Arabia.

Asked if Saudi Arabia was ready to open a direct dialogue with Tehran, Mohammed said it was impossible to talk with a power that was planning for the return of the Imam Mahdi - whom Shi'ites believe was a descendent of the Prophet who went into hiding 1,000 years ago and will return to establish global Islamic rule before the end of the world.

"How do you have a dialogue with this (Iran)?" Mohammed said in clips of the interview posted on social media.

"Its (Iran's) logic is that the Imam Mahdi will come and they must prepare the fertile environment for the arrival of the awaited Mahdi and they must control the Muslim world."

Under Iran's constitution since the 1979 revolution, the country's supreme leader is the earthly representative of the Imam until his return.


Asked to respond to reports that after two years of war and Saudi's military intervention the Houthis, aligned to ex-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, still control large swathes of Yemen and large quantities of weapons, Prince Mohammed said:

"We can uproot the Houthis and Saleh in a matter of days."

In the clips available in advance of the broadcast he did not elaborate on the Saudi strategy for Yemen.

Reuters

In the same interview, Prince Muhammad bin Salman said that

https://twitter.com/x/status/859502682133999616

 

[Serpentine]

"We can uproot the Houthis and Saleh in a matter of days."

Yet we are stuck in Yemen's mud for two years.

 

[Arabi]

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince on Iran.

https://twitter.com/x/status/859513987792334848

 

[AmirPatriot]

Good! به درک!

 

[SQ8]

If and when the Imam arrives, he will tell both of these powers to go to hell, and hopefully send them there

 

[Saifullah Sani]

here goes the reasoning Gen(r) Raheel gave

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

I miss Osmanli...

 

[EgyptianAmerican]

Saudi Arabia's powerful deputy crown prince has ruled out any dialogue with Iran, a country he said was busy plotting to control the Muslim world.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister, said in a TV interview to be broadcast later on Tuesday his country could crush Iran-aligned fighters in Yemen where Saudi forces head a coalition of Gulf Arab states intervening in a civil war.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran compete for influence in the Middle East, supporting rival groups in Syria's civil war. In Yemen, Iran denies providing financial or military support to the Houthis who are fighting government forces allied with Saudi Arabia.

Asked if Saudi Arabia was ready to open a direct dialogue with Tehran, Mohammed said it was impossible to talk with a power that was planning for the return of the Imam Mahdi - whom Shi'ites believe was a descendent of the Prophet who went into hiding 1,000 years ago and will return to establish global Islamic rule before the end of the world.

"How do you have a dialogue with this (Iran)?" Mohammed said in clips of the interview posted on social media.

"Its (Iran's) logic is that the Imam Mahdi will come and they must prepare the fertile environment for the arrival of the awaited Mahdi and they must control the Muslim world."

Under Iran's constitution since the 1979 revolution, the country's supreme leader is the earthly representative of the Imam until his return.


Asked to respond to reports that after two years of war and Saudi's military intervention the Houthis, aligned to ex-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, still control large swathes of Yemen and large quantities of weapons, Prince Mohammed said:

"We can uproot the Houthis and Saleh in a matter of days."

In the clips available in advance of the broadcast he did not elaborate on the Saudi strategy for Yemen.

Reuters

In the same interview, Prince Muhammad bin Salman said that

https://twitter.com/x/status/859502682133999616

I am sorry but this is ridiculous, how are any of these countries going to get anywhere if they refuse to negotiate let alone deal with their problems?

These type of statements is exactly what is holding us back.

I expected much more from such a progressive and modern new voice in the Saudi government.

 

[AmirPatriot]

I expected much more from such a progressive and modern new voice in the Saudi government.

"progressive and modern new voice in the Saudi government"

"progressive Saudi government"

how are any of these countries going to get anywhere if they refuse to negotiate let alone deal with their problems?

http://www.reuters.com/article/iran-saudi-zarif-idUSU8N18R01E

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

@MastanKhan...U do have an eye on tussle b/w Arabs and Iranians...What do you think? Aren't Saudis acting little rude? May be matters can be resolved through dialogue?

http://www.reuters.com/article/iran-saudi-zarif-idUSU8N18R01E

The problem is your presence in Arab land...U are in Arab land and asking Arabs to come on table??? This is the same thing if I capture your house and ask you to come on table to negotiate over it...

 

[AmirPatriot]

The problem is your presence in Arab land...U are in Arab land and asking Arabs to come on table??? This is the same thing if I capture your house and ask you to come on table to negotiate over it...

I've heard this "interfering in Arab affairs" so much it's getting boring. We haven't invaded any Arab countries like they did in 1980.

National security transcends ethnic differences. ISIS is literally occupying the territory of our neighbour, and has been doing so for years. They were approaching Baghdad. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to withhold military, equipment, training and strategic support to a friendly neighbour fighting terrorists marching on the capital, just because they are Arab and we are not. The same case goes for Syria, since the borders between Iraq and Syria mean absolutely nothing right now.

Terrorists threatening to take over our neighbours and allies are not Arab affairs. They are regional affairs and our affairs too and if the Arab monarchies want to stop us fighting national security threats, to hell with their negotiations.

 

[I.R.A]

"Its (Iran's) logic is that the Imam Mahdi will come and they must prepare the fertile environment for the arrival of the awaited Mahdi and they must control the Muslim world."

Okay this is the only reason they won't talk to each other? They can join efforts to search for this missing Imam, if they find him good.......... tell him sort all the mess we created (I am sure he won't like it a bit) and if they don't find him then forget about him and move forward to resolve the differences. Make use of the technology people ...........

 

[PaklovesTurkiye]

I've heard this "interfering in Arab affairs" so much it's getting boring. We haven't invaded any Arab countries like they did in 1980.

National security transcends ethnic differences. ISIS is literally occupying the territory of our neighbour, and has been doing so for years. They were approaching Baghdad. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to withhold military, equipment, training and strategic support to a friendly neighbour fighting terrorists marching on the capital, just because they are Arab and we are not. The same case goes for Syria, since the borders between Iraq and Syria mean absolutely nothing right now.

Terrorists threatening to take over our neighbours and allies are not Arab affairs. They are regional affairs and our affairs too and if the Arab monarchies want to stop us fighting national security threats, to hell with their negotiations.

So...U benefited from ISIS rise...Their presence allowed you to expand your influence all the way to Arab land. What kind of allies you're talking about...There is nothing left except rubble and destruction. Makes me wonder every ally of Iran is in shambles

 

[AmirPatriot]

So...U benefited from ISIS rise...Their presence allowed you to expand your influence all the way to Arab land.

Iran already had friendly relations with Syria and Iraq before ISIS, so I don't know what you're on about.

 

[Śakra]

iran, the same country that is causing so much trouble in the Levant and Arabia, thinks they should mediate the Kashmir problem between India and pakistan. Charity begins at home, 1st fix your own problems before you think about fixing someone else's