Iran: US working to ‘provoke’ Saudi Arabia against Iran

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly accused the United States of working to “provoke” Saudi Arabia against Iran.

Khamenei said in a speech that the United States should leave the Middle East region.

{mosads}“Americans are trying to provoke Saudi Arabia against Tehran … Their aim is to create more regional crisis … to push Muslims to fight against Muslims,” said Khamenei, as reported by Reuters.

“If these governments gain more wisdom, they will not confront Iran. If they confront Iran, they will be defeated.”

Reuters noted that Iran’s state TV showed Khamenei’s speech a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s gathering with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

Pompeo said he discussed Iran with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir during the trip and pointed to Iranian actions he argued destabilize the Middle East.

“We’ll continue to work closely with our Saudi partners to counter threats to this country’s security,” Pompeo said Sunday.

“That, of course, starts with Iran. Iran destabilizes this entire region. It supports proxy militias and terrorist groups.”

Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia have long been rivals, engaging in proxy fights across the region, including in Syria and Yemen.