Iranian official hits back at China over statement in Saudi Arabia

Earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the Saudi kingdom, where he held talks with Riyadh’s rulers over wider cooperation.

In a statement, Beijing joined Riyadh in its stance against Tehran’s nuclear program and regional activities, regardless of the Asian state’s friendly relations with the Islamic Republic.

The two countries called on Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, “maintain the non- proliferation regime, and emphasize respect for the principles of good-neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs of states.”

Reacting to China’s position, Jamshidi said, “Chinese colleagues should keep in mind that at a time when Saudi Arabia and America supported Daesh and al-Qaeda terror groups in Syria and destroyed Yemen in a savage military aggression, it was Iran that fought the terrorists in order for the restoration of stability and security to the region and for terrorism not to spread to the East and West.”

Daesh and al-Qaeda, the world’s most notorious terror groups, are widely known to be inspired by Wahhabism, a Takfiri ideology running deep in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Yaghoub Reza-Zadeh, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that the parliamentary body is expected to discuss the statement at a session on Sunday.