by WorldTribune Staff, February 20, 2017
The growing level of cooperation between Israel and Sunni Muslim states is not sitting well in Iran.
Iran on Feb. 20 blasted what it said was coordination between Israel and Saudi Arabia, describing attempts to create an “international atmosphere” against Teheran, Israel’s Arutz Sheva reported.
“It’s unfortunate that this occupying regime (of Israel) is counting on the coordination and collaboration of an Islamic country to further its perpetual anti-Iranian policies,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.
In a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were now “broader conditions for broad peace in the Middle East between Israel and the Arab countries.”
Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has called for cooperation between the Israel and Sunni Arab nations to oppose Iran.
Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, but that does not prevent them from sharing informal links.
Ghasemi said that Israel and Saudi Arabia “imagine they can compensate for their numerous defeats and failures in the region by creating an international atmosphere against our country.”
Israel and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of fueling regional conflicts by supporting armed Shi’ite movements in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.
Iran rejects the accusations and says Riyadh must stop its support for Sunni “terrorists” like the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaida.