Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister blamed the Lebanese movement Hezbollah and Iran for bringing sectarianism to the region.
In an interview with the Saudi network Al-Arabiya Tuesday night, Adel al-Jubeir said that Hezbollah was the first “terrorist, sectarian organization” to come to the region.
Jubeir said that while sectarian strife came from Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Saudi Arabia has not carried out any act of aggression against Iran since its 1979 revolution.
He called on Iran to change its policies and take measures that go in line with international law.
“We haven’t seen moderate Iranian policy from [Iranian President] Hassan Rouhani, but we are seeing a series of acts of aggression against us,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has in the past condemned Iran's interference in the affairs of regional states and Hezbollah's "terrorist acts" in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Kuwait.
Earlier this year, the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation denounced Hezbollah for "supporting terrorism" and causing instability in the region.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has accused both Israel and Saudi Arabia of working to stirr up strife between Sunnis and Shiites wherever they were in the world.
