Saudi Arabia Rules out War with Iran

Local Editor

Saudi Arabia is not expecting any direct armed confrontation with Iran, the country's Defense Minister Muhammad bin Salman al-Saud said in an interview with the London-based daily newspaper The Economist on Monday.

"It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind. Because a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region, and it will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world," the Deputy Crown Prince said when asked about the possibility of direct war flaring up between the two countries.

"For sure we will not allow any such thing," he emphasized.

On January 3 Iranian protesters, outraged over the Saudi execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, stormed the Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.

Hours later, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Riyadh was severing diplomatic relations with Tehran and ordering Iranian diplomatic staff out of the country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team