IRANIAN Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused Saudi Arabia of being scared of Iran and displaying military weakness over its inability to control Qatar in the ongoing blockade against the peninsular nation, in a sign of growing tensions between the long-term enemies.

Speaking at a conference at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Mr Zarif commented on the degrading relations between the two Middle Eastern nations.

Taking direct aim at Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Zarif stated: “The young, simple-minded Saudi comes and says, ‘We aren’t afraid of Iran, and Iran is the fifth military power of the Islamic world.’

“Now I wonder if this is true, because why are they moaning and shouting about Iran this much?”

Pointing to Saudi Arabia’s growing defence expenditure, he suggested that Saudi Arabia was increasingly worried about Iran.

He said: “In the past year, Saudi Arabia was the third in the world in terms of buying weapons.

“They spent $67billion (£49billion), and this amount of arms purchases indicates how worried they are.

“They are acknowledging they aren’t able to resist Iran, because the sources of power have changed.

The Foreign Minister also referred to Saudi Arabia’s inability to defeat Qatar in its ongoing blockade against the peninsula nation alongside Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE as a sign of its weakness.

He said: “They aren’t even able to overcome Qatar.

“Qatar has brought Saudi Arabia to its knees, because the sources of power and the tools for reaching power have changed.”

The Iranian official was speaking to hard-liners and critics of the Iran nuclear deal, who suggest the promised economic dividends of the accord have not materialised in any way.

The politician used the opportunity to not only blast Saudi Arabia but to also take aim at the US.

Source » express