Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib on Wednesday warned Saudi Arabia against meddling in its internal affairs, saying it is perfectly capable of unleashing chaos in the Gulf country in retaliation to anti-regime protests in Iran that he said are being stoked by its regional rival and the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and Israel.
“In the case of Saudi Arabia, I say that our fate and that of other countries in the region are tied together due to our neighbourhood,” he noted, adding, “From Iran’s point of view, any instability in the countries of the region is contagious, and any instability in Iran can be contagious to the countries of the region.”
Saying that Iran has shown “strategic patience” so far, Khatib stressed that Tehran’s restraint will not last forever. “Iran does not give any guarantee for the continuation of this strategic patience in case of the continuation of hostilities,” Khatib underscored.
“Undoubtedly, if the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran is given to reciprocate and punish these countries, the glass palaces will collapse and these countries will not see stability,” he said.
UK Met Police have notified 2 British-Iranian journalists that threats represent an imminent risk to their lives.I condemn the horrific threats & stand in solidarity with @IranIntl journalists. West must stop IRI from escalating state-sponsored campaign to intimidate journalists.
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) November 8, 2022
Khatib also accused the US, the UK, and Israel of playing an “overt role” in the protests. “We will never support terrorist and destabilising acts in other countries as the UK does, but we also will not be committed to preventing the occurrence of insecurity in such countries,” he underscored.
Furthermore, he alleged that the UK and Saudi Arabia support the news site Iran International, which Iran accuses of spreading disinformation. “From now on, any kind of connection with this terrorist organisation will be considered as entering the terrorist domain and threatening the country’s national security,” Khatib said.
In fact, Iranian security forces arrested an “agent” of the news agency today for supporting the protests and spreading “terrorism.”
“I state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent Iran and the country’s progress,” Khatib asserted.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the US warning of an impending Iranian attack. It has prompted Washington and its allies to raise alert levels. To this end, the US has warned that it “will not hesitate to act” against any attack.
The regime in #Iran is so threatened by @IranIntl it is dispatching hostile surveillance teams to London to target its journalists. Apart from that being unacceptable & meriting a decisive UK response, it shows how fearful Tehran is of its people's access to reliable information.
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) November 9, 2022
Iran, however, denied it is planning an attack on Saudi Arabia and accused Riyadh of making “baseless” claims.
Anti-regime protests erupted across Iran in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s notorious morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly. According to reports, Amini was brutally tortured and beaten and died while receiving treatment at an intensive care unit of the Kasra hospital in Tehran.
Nationwide demonstrations have continued to spread for more than 50 days. According to Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 304 protesters, including 41 children and 29 women, have been killed in clashes with security forces. The IHR noted that protests have taken place in at least 22 provinces, with deaths recorded in 21.
Iranian officials have claimed that its enemies are supporting the protests to overthrow the regime. President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei have blamed the US and Israel for supporting the protests. Moreover, Iranian security officials have denied any role in Amini’s death, claiming she died due to a heart attack.