DUBAI: Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince said that the kingdom is not seeking war in the region, but warned it will not hesitate to confront threats to its security.
His comments came just days after the U.S. blamed Iran for suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, denouncing what it called a campaign of “escalating tensions” in a region crucial to global energy supplies.
“The kingdom does not seek war in the region, but we will not hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, sovereignty and vital interests,” he said in an interview with the Arabic newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat.
He accused rival Iran of using militias to destabilize the region. He also touted U.S.-Saudi relations as “essential to achieving regional security and stability.”
“The problem is in Tehran and not anywhere else,” he said. “Iran is always the party that’s escalating in the region, carrying out terrorist attacks and criminal attacks either directly or through its militias.”
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming and training the rebels, which the kingdom has been at war against in Yemen since early 2015.
“The choice before Iran is clear. Do you want to be a normal state with a constructive role in the international community or do you want to be a rogue state?” the crown prince was quoted as saying.
His comments mirrored those made by his father, King Salman, at emergency summits held in Mecca last month that drew heads of state from Arab and Muslim countries to address the sharp rise in tensions with Iran. (Agencies)
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