by WorldTribune Staff, March 8, 2018
Turkey has aligned itself with Iran and other hardline Islamist groups in the Mideast to form a “triangle of evil,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said.
During his recent visit to Egypt, his first foreign trip since becoming heir to the Saudi throne, the crown prince also accused Turkey of trying to reinstate the Islamic Caliphate which was abolished nearly a century ago when the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Reuters reported on March 7, citing Egypt’s Al-Shorouk newspaper.
Crown Prince Mohammed had previously referred to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “the new Hitler of the Middle East.” Iran responded by calling the Saudi crown prince “immature” and “weak-minded.”
Analysts say Saudi Arabia has become deeply suspicious of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since his decision to back Qatar in its dispute with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt all severed relations with Qatar last June over allegations that it supports terrorism. Qatar denies the charges.
After the four boycotting countries delivered 13 demands to ending the crisis, Erdogan said the demands were unacceptable.
Crown Prince Mohammed said the dispute with Qatar could be long-lasting, comparing it to the U.S. embargo of Cuba imposed 60 years ago, but played down its impact, dismissing the Gulf emirate as “smaller than a Cairo street.”
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