Saudi Arabia and Iran compete for influence across the Middle East, respectively backing rival political or armed groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
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“Yesterday, you said “No” to those who wanted us to return to the past”, Rouhani told Iranians in a televised victory speech.
Reformists are set to control city councils in Iran’s major cities, initial election results show, ending longstanding conservative dominance of local politics just days after moderate President Hassan Rouhani sailed to a second term.
The mainstream media have used grand superlatives such as “extravagant”, “monumental”, and most frequently “historic” to describe US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Unlike his predecessors, Trump considers Iran, not Russian Federation as the primary threat in the region; despite the clear cooperation between the two countries on regional affairs, especially in Syria.
Moazzami said the multilateral nuclear agreement that brought sanctions relief to Iran was paying off nonetheless.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, 68, was re-elected for a second term with 57% of the vote in presidential elections last Friday, promising better relations with the rest of the world and more jobs for Iran’s youth.
“Americans resorted to many different methods against Iran but failed in all”.
In his Tuesday press conference, President Rouhani said, “US officials should know that whenever we need a missile test because of a technical aspect, we will test it and not wait for their permission”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has at times voiced support for anti-Syrian government militants who even receive medical treatments in a field hospital in occupied Golan Heights.
Israel has always been anxious about Iran’s growing influence in the region and presence in Syria. But who funded the terrorists?
The Iranian leader, who was recently re-elected to serve a second term, also slammed a multibillion-dollar arms deal signed between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia during the visit, arguing that this would not solve the problem either.
“I think the president’s views – like, we hope, the American people’s views – are going to continue to evolve”, Mr. Tillerson said on the flight from Riyadh to Tel Aviv.
But in a reminder of the global pressure that Iran faces, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said yesterday Teheran must stop supporting armed groups in Syria and Iraq that destabilise the Middle East if it wants good relations with the West.
“Maybe it will help if Saudi leaders let their people to decide over their country’s fate by casting their vote”.
Iran has always been at the forefront of combating terrorism and the image of Iran is totally clear to the world, he said, reiterating that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has on several occasions verified peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. “When they imposed sanctions on us, they made a mistake”, he said.
Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-majority countries in the Middle East have grown closer to Israel behind the scenes in recent years, united by an equally wary perception of Iran due to its nuclear ambitions and destabilizing actions in the region.
“We will have the same team [in Tehran] that is committed to developing relations with Armenia”, he added.
However, while Rouhani’s greatest political achievement to date has perhaps been the 2015 agreement with six major powers, including the U.S., to curbing Iran’s nuclear program, the Iranian president insisted that ballistic missile tests would continue “if technically necessary”. “All nations of conscience” should isolate Iran until it’s “willing to be a partner for peace”, he said.
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An Iranian military truck carries parts of the S-300 air defence missile system during a parade on the occasion of the country’s Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran.
