Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir blasted his Iranian counterpart in a new op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, saying that Iran cannot “whitewash its record of terror.”
“The fact is that Iran is the leading state-sponsor of terrorism, with government officials directly responsible for numerous terrorist attacks since 1979. These include suicide bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the Marine barracks at Beirut International Airport; the bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996; attacks against more than a dozen embassies in Iran, including those of Britain, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia; and the assassination of diplomats around the world, to name a few examples,” the former Ambassador to the United States wrote.
The comments are the latest in a year marked by heated rhetoric between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.
“Iran cannot talk about fighting extremism while its leaders, Quds Force and Revolutionary Guard continue to fund, train, arm and facilitate acts of terrorism,” Al-Jubeir wrote.
“If Iran wants to demonstrate sincerity in contributing to the global war on terrorism, it could have begun by handing over al Qaeda leaders who have enjoyed sanctuary in Iran. These have included Osama bin Laden’s son, Saad, and al Qaeda’s chief of operations, Saif al-Adel, along with numerous other operatives guilty of attacks against Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and other targets. It is a fact that Saif al-Adel placed a call from Iran in May 2003 giving orders for the Riyadh bombings that claimed more than 30 lives, including eight Americans. Yet he still benefits from Iranian protection.”
[Click here to read the full op-ed by Adel Al-Jubeir in the Wall Street Journal]
