Saudi top diplomat assails Iran for blaming Riyadh in attack
Posted February 18, 2019 12:28 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ISLAMABAD — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has assailed Iran for initially blaming the kingdom for last week’s attack that killed 27 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.
Adel al-Jubeir says the allegations by Iran, as a “chief sponsor of terrorism,” sought to divert the attention of the Iranian people.
Iranian officials had at first said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were behind the attack but later said the attack was planned from “inside Pakistan.” The militant Sunni group Jaish al-Adl, which claimed responsibility, is believed to operate from havens in Pakistan.
Al-Jubeir spoke on Monday in Islamabad as part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage. The prince is on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which has close ties to the kingdom and often balances between Riyadh and Tehran.
The Associated Press
