“We will continue to act responsibly and constructively in solving the Syrian conflict”, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said while meeting UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Tehran.
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Iran says it will not allow Saudi Arabia’s provocations to adversely affect ongoing efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria.
“Saudi Arabia’s approach is to create tension meant to negatively affect the Syrian crisis”, Zarif said in a statement.
“We strongly condemn the attacks on diplomatic missions by Iran and absolutely reject the Iranian policy of interference in the affairs of the kingdom and any other Arab state”, Sheikh Abdullah said.
The Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir warned Iran that additional steps would be taken if Iran did not stop its absurd practices during the next two months. Iran wanted to see a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, including with Saudi Arabia, he said.
Several Arab countries have already condemned the Iranian attacks and summoned the Iranian ambassadors accredited in their capitals to voice their condemnation, Al Bawaba reported.
Sunday’s talks in Cairo come after foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Sunni Arab monarchies, expressed their “total support” for Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
In its communique issued following the meeting, the Council of the Arab League held Iran responsible for the attacks, calling on Iran to abide by worldwide conventions and treaties, mainly the 1961 and the 1963 Vienna Conventions, which hold host countries responsible for protecting diplomatic missions.
In the evening of the same day crowds of furious Iranian demonstrators stormed the building of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and the consulate office in Mashhad.
Saudi Arabia cut all political ties with Iran in response, prompting fellow Sunni-majority Bahrain and Sudan to follow suit.
Iran was invited to take part in worldwide talks on Syria for the first time in October, raising hopes that its presence would help end a five-year-long civil war.
“Through all these diplomatic effort, Saudi Arabia to some extent can achieve its expectations and goals, because both the United States and some European countries must now reconsider their approach to Iran given the current pressure from Saudi Arabia”.
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Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and shootings in Saudi Arabia since November 2014 that have killed more than 50 people, a lot of them Shiites but also more than 15 members of the security forces.
