Iran has accused Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) of spreading “amateurish lies” by saying that Iran is harboring al-Qaeda terrorists, including the late Osama bin Laden’s son, to mask the kingdom’s role in 9/11.
“He (bin Salman) could not use such amateurish lies to hide the role of Saudi Arabia’s government and leaders in creating the most dangerous terrorist groups in modern history and in major terrorist incidents like the September 11 (attacks),” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Breitbart News reported in September that the “Sunni Saudi Arabia-owned Al Arabiya television channel is expected to air a documentary accusing Shiite Iran of lending support to al-Qaeda jihadists involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States homeland.”
While Iran playing some role in the September 11, 2001, attacks is possible, it is also widely known that 14 of the 19 al-Qaeda terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia.
During an interview with 60 Minutes, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of hosting and supporting al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama Bin Laden’s son, who is the new leader of the terrorist outfit. “He lives in Iran and works out of Iran,” bin Salman said. “He is supported by Iran.”
Qassemi reportedly said bin Salman proved to be “an amateurish and mistaken liar” for his comments and stated his belief that his words show he is not familiar with Saudi Arabia’s history and culture.
Tasnim News then wrote, “Decrying the Saudi crown prince’s ‘brazen attempt’ in the U.S. trip to seize the throne, Qassemi said bin Salman had better find a way to erase the dark record of Saudi supports for terrorism instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars of the Saudi nation’s assets on American arms.”
Protests that erupted on December 28, and have continued throughout various cities in Iran, were directed in large part against the Iranian regime’s constant use of money to fund terrorism and wars throughout the Middle East while everyday Iranians are starving and struggling to make ends meet.
On Sunday, Qassemi also claimed that Iran has “made extensive efforts for normalizing relations and creating a suitable climate for talks with Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately continuation of Saudi Arabia’s illusions in the wake of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal shows the country’s lack of adequate preparedness for talks with Iran to reach an understanding.”
In December, Saudi Arabia was able to intercept an Iranian missile launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, preventing it from entering Riyadh, potentially causing many casualties.
During a press briefing at the Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling in Washington, DC, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said a marker on one of the fragments bore the distinct signature of Iranian manufacturer Shahid Bagger Industries. She also noted that the missile lacked wings along its body, another typical mark of Iranian missiles.
“In this warehouse is concrete evidence of illegal Iranian weapons proliferation, gathered from direct military attacks on partners in the region,” Haley said. Iran denied this and claimed the missile Haley displayed was “fabricated.”
The State Department has deemed Iran to be the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism.
On Monday, President Donald Trump sent a Nowruz message to the Iranian people. During his message, he slammed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for funding terrorism and propping up dictators at the cost of the livelihood of their people at home.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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