Tasnim – Commander of Iran’s Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said Saudi Arabia had a role in the recent acts of sabotage in Iraq’s capital Baghdad and in the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing a cultural meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Major General Mousavi said if the evidence were to be revealed, it would show that the Saudis have punished the Emiratis because the UAE did not follow Riyadh’s orders very well.

“Moreover, the Saudis had a role in the recent acts of sabotage in Baghdad,” the commander added.

His comments came after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on May 12 that four commercial ships were targets of a “sabotage attack” near its Fujairah port.

Also a week later, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

Elsewhere in his comments, the Iranian Army chief said the enemies are united only outwardly, while they really seek to “milk and target” each other.

“The US (military) presence in the region is meant to say that ‘you the Arab countries need a bully for ensuring your security and that you are unable to defend yourself without us and must pay for it’”, the commander stated.

He further reiterated that Iran has never sought or started a war, but stands firm for defense.

“The region’s security should be provided by the regional countries and aliens should leave the region,” he added.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has also on various occasions underlined that security of the region comes within the purview of the regional countries alone, dismissing the US claim of seeking security in the region.

“The Persian Gulf security relates to the countries of the region which have common interests, and not to the US. So, security of the Persian Gulf region should be provided by the countries of this region itself,” the Leader had said in 2016.