Envoy terms Saudi Arabia as ‘central bank of terrorism’


Iranian Ambassador to Belgium Gholamhossein Dehghani has called Saudi Arabia as the “central bank of terrorism” and the main sponsor of extremism in the region and beyond, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

“The Saudi diplomat whose government is the central bank of terrorism and the main sponsor of extremism in the region and beyond has made the comments to escape the accusations Saudi Arabia faces for its crimes in Syria, so it has started accusing Iran,” Dehghani said during a conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”.

The remarks came after Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook called on the international community to extend the UN embargo on sales of weapons to Iran, accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Riyadh on Monday, al-Jubeir said Saudi and U.S. policies on Iran are identical.

“We both see Iran as a grave danger not only to regional stability, but international stability,” he said.

“We believe that Iran is the chief sponsor of terrorism and that the international community has to be more firm in dealing with the Iranians and their proxies,” al-Jubeir added.

Dehghani said everyone is aware of the fact that over the last decade, Iran has been at the forefront of fighting the Daesh and Takfiri terrorism in Syria and the region.

Iran hails any kind of measures taken to alleviate Syrians’ sufferings, he said, adding that Iran supports the UN chief’s request for establishing truce, especially ending the conflict in Syria.

Referring to Iran's efforts to help Syrians over the last decade, the ambassador said Iran has always tried – especially in the coronavirus era – to address Syrian people's humanitarian needs and reduce their plight.

He reiterated that the international community is accountable in this regard.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Dehghani slammed the U.S. illegal and unilateral sanctions against Syria and its decision to extend them, saying that these sanctions have caused more difficulties for them in fighting Covid-19 with the ordinary people suffering the most.

These sanctions will result in creating more sufferings for Syrian people, Dehghani added.