Iranian Defense Minister: If Saudi Arabia Does Anything Stupid, No Place in the Kingdom Will Remain Intact Except Mecca and Medina

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan warned Saudi Arabia that if the kingdom does anything "stupid," "I doubt that any place in Saudi Arabia will remain intact, with the exception of Mecca and Medina." Speaking on Al-Manar TV on May 7, he was responding to recent statements by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud, who had rejected the possibility of dialogue with Iran and said that they would "make sure that the war is waged in Iran and not in Saudi Arabia." To view the Crown Prince’s statements, see MEMRI TV clip 6003.

Hossein Dehghan: "Today, we see that Saudi Arabia has reached such a level of self-annulment and pleading that it is even willing to ingratiate itself [with] Netanyahu, in order to incite him against us. What kind of behavior has Saudi Arabia adopted? How is it that whenever a nation refuses to obey Wahhabism and Salafism, Saudi Arabia takes action against it - spending money and sending weapons - in order to quell (the rise) of that nation? The Saudi rulers should bear their responsibility and answer these questions: Do the interests of the Muslim nations lie in unity with either Israel or America? Will handing the region over to America bring security to the Muslims? Does spending the money of the Muslims to establish a failing monarchic regime in tatters constitute a step toward securing the interests of the Muslims? We have never sought to occupy any Arab or Muslim country, and we never will. Today they believe that they can flex their muscles at the nations - especially the great, deep-rooted, and civilized Iranian people. I think that their brains do not comprehend what their tongues are saying, and the reason for this is that they are arrogant, conceited, ignorant, and young. Today, there is an international consensus against Saudi human rights violations in Yemen. What can America do? Saudi Arabia has tried several times to wage war against Yemen. This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia attacks Yemen. It's the fourth time, and Saudi Arabia has lost in the previous three. This time, the Yemeni people will definitely not allow the Saudi Wahhabi regime to take over them."

Interviewer: "Is Saudi Arabia capable of transferring the war into Iran and striking Iran?"

Hossein Dehghan: "I do not understand how they would do this. They think that they have an air force capable of doing something, but I advise them not to do anything stupid. But if they do, I doubt that any place in Saudi Arabia will remain intact, with the exception of Mecca and Medina. The solution is very simple. First Saudi Arabia must withdraw from Yemen. Second, Saudi Arabia must refrain from interfering in the affairs of the other Muslim countries. Third, it must accept the system of regional collective security, and expel the international forces from the region. Four, it must yield the peoples' right to self-determination. Complying with these terms will guarantee a resolution to the problems of the region. Today, Israel finds itself in the best situation ever: ISIS in fighting the Muslims on its behalf and provides it with security. ISIS is exhausting the power of the Muslims, shattering the prospect of (their) threatening Israel. Today, Israel is celebrating. When it strikes somewhere, it sends a message to its terrorist proxies in the region: 'Do not worry, I have your backs.' This has nothing to do with Iran. The only solution to restoring peace and security in the region is two-fold: First, Israel must not continue to exist in the structure of the region in this way. The solution is very simple: The Palestinians must return to the occupied land. The Palestinian people will determine their own fate. We will accept any decision of the Palestinian people. Second the interfering forces must be expelled from the region. The powers and peoples of the region know how to coexist."