Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said that Iran would present a regional peace plan to the United Nations at the General Assembly in New York this week, after the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and the US order to deploy more troops to the region in response.
“In this sensitive and important historical moment, we announce to our neighbours, that we extend the hand of friendship and brotherhood to them,” he said.
In his speech on Sunday, Mr. Rouhani called on the foreign powers in the Gulf region to “stay away”.
“Foreign forces can cause problems and insecurity for our people and for our region,” he said in a televised speech at an annual military parade.
“If they’re sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race,” he continued. “Your presence has always brought pain and misery for the region. The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be for our region.”
Following his speech, the armed forces paraded their latest equipment, including tanks, missiles and armoured vehicles as Rouhani and top military commanders saluted them.
The annual military parade marks the start of the week commemorating Iran’s 1980-1988 war with Iraq known as the “sacred defence”.
Mr. Rouhani is expected to travel to New York on Monday, a day before general debate kicks off at the UN General Assembly.
His comments came as tensions have escalated between arch-foes Iran and the United States after the devastating September 14 attacks on Saudi oil installations that Washington and Riyadh have blamed on Tehran.
Following the attacks, the United States announced on Friday that it was sending reinforcements to Saudi Arabia at “the kingdom’s request”.
The Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, a claim rejected by the US.
But the Iran-backed group on Friday offered to halt all attacks against Saudi Arabia as part of a peace initiative.
The United Nations envoy for Yemen welcomed the offer on Saturday, saying it could bring an end to years of bloody conflict.
Implementation of the initiative by the Houthis “in good faith could send a powerful message of the will to end the war,” Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said.
The Iran-backed Houthis, which control the capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, have been fighting against a Saudi-led coalition which supports the country’s internationally recognised government in a devastating five-year war.
Mr. Griffiths hailed “the desire for a political solution to end the conflict” in a statement issued from the UN headquarters in New York.
Saudi Arabia gave a cautious response, with minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al Jubeir saying on Saturday, “We judge other parties by their deeds, actions and not by their words, so we will see [whether] they actually do this or not.”
In a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Al Jubeir warned of “appropriate measures” once the source of the strikes on its oil facilities was confirmed.
“We have asked the United Nations to do an investigation and there are also other countries involved in the probe,” he told a press conference.
“We are sure the attack was not launched from Yemen, but from the north.
“When it [the probe] is completed, we will take the appropriate procedures to deal with this aggression,” Mr. Al Jubeir said without specifying.
Source: The National
