Iraq breaks with Saudi on Iran during Mecca summit
Tehran (KNA) - Iraq has opposed the final statement of an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia, which condemned what it called Iran's "interference" in countries of the Middle East region.
A statement by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council and the communiqué issued after a wider summit both underlined the rights of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to defend themselves against Tehran.
The statements mainly cited concerns about the recent sabotage attacks against several ships off the UAE.
Both Saudi and Emirati officials have blamed the mysterious "sabotage" attacks on Iran while Iran denies any involvement.
"The absence of a firm deterrent stance against Iranian behavior is what led to the escalation we see today," King Salman told the two consecutive meetings late on Thursday night.
He also pointed to Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs as sources of concern, and expressed concern about what he described as Iran's threats to cripple global oil supplies by closing down the Strait of Hormuz in case the US seeks to zero out the Islamic Republic's oil exports.
Source: PressTV