Iran urges Saudi Arabia to change policies towards Tehran

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 25

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Saudi Arabia must change its policies towards Iran in order to improve ties with Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said.

He said that Saudi Arabia cut off its diplomatic ties with Iran, and in order to change the situation, Riyadh must show readiness, IRNA news agency reported.

During his recent visit to Tehran, Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif announced readiness to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resolve the existing tensions, the spokesman said during a press conference in Tehran on Jan. 25.

However, Saudi Arabia must change its "extremist" policies, Ansari added.

So far, Iran has not observed any positive sign indicating changes in the policies of Saudi Arabia, Ansari said.

He further accused Saudi Arabia of causing delay in Syrian peace talks and said a meeting was scheduled between Syrian government and opposition groups to discuss the crisis, but was postponed due to Saudi Arabia's policies.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, after visiting Saudi Arabia, arrived in Tehran on Jan.19, to mediate the Tehran-Riyadh relations.

The relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia deteriorated following the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, on Jan. 2.

Reacting to al-Nimr's execution, a group of angry Iranian protestors stormed Saudi embassy in Tehran, smashing furniture and setting fire to the building before being dispersed by police.

Officially, Iran expressed strong protest regarding the execution, and the fragile relations between the two countries started going even further downhill from there.

Saudi Arabia and its allies including Sudan, Djibouti, Bahrain and the UAE joined diplomatic action against Iran following the break into the embassy in Tehran.

Riyadh accuses Tehran of meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries, including Yemen - something Iran has denied.