Iranian Energy Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh blamed Saudi Arabia for the deteriorating bilateral relations, in a statement that was in line with the Islamic Republic’s denial of any involvement in the attacks on Saudi oil facilities that occurred on the 14th of September. While speaking at a forum during a visit to Moscow, Tehran’s top energy official Bijan Namdar Zanganeh stated that “This relationship, this difficulty between Iran and Saudi Arabia, hasn’t currented from the Iranian side.”
Saudi Arabia, the United States and the European Union have blamed Tehran for the attacks, which temporarily knocked out more than 5% of global oil production. The Islamic Republic vehemently denies these allegations, while its Houthi proxy in Yemen has claimed full responsibility for the attack.
In further efforts to assert his nation’s innocence, Minister Zanganeh insisted that all Muslim countries in the region should view Iran as a peaceful neighbor and instead see “another country” that is foreign to the region as their shared enemy, in apparent reference to the United States.
“All the Muslim countries, all the neighboring countries, should have the peaceful environment between themselves and anyone out of Iran, doesn’t think that – I believe – that Iran is their enemy,” stated Zanganeh, adding “Our enemy is another country out of this area.”