Given Iran's extensive relations with the eastern and western states, Saudi Arabia is not able to isolate Tehran by cutting ties with such a large country, a commander of the Syrian popular forces and tribal leader said.
"Saudi Arabia, which has lost the opportunity to approach Iran despite Tehran's repeated demands, cannot isolate Iran regionally and internationally since Iran enjoys strong relations with Russia and China and the European countries are also resuming their political and economic relations with Iran and of course, these have frightened the Saudi regime as well as Israel," Sheikh Fayez al-Namis said on Thursday.
"Therefore, we can say that the crime of the assassination of Sheikh Nimr (Baqir al-Nimr, the prominent Shiite cleric, by the Saudi regime) was a justification to foment sectarian strife in the region and no doubt the US and the Israeli regime had earlier shown a green light to Riyadh," he added.
His remarks came after Iran's government spokesman downplayed Saudi Arabia and its little allies' cutting or downgrading relations with Tehran following a spat between Riyadh and Tehran over the criminal beheading of a Shiite leader.
Mohammad Baqer Nobakht described Saudi Arabia as a small-size state that needs to rally support to be seen on regional or global stage, "but we don’t need to form any such coalition" because Iran is already a major state and key player in the region.
"A large number of important world states have queued for expanding relations with us," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"What could be Saudi Arabia's share when we are developing relations with many countries," he asked.
Nobakht underlined that cutting bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and some other small countries which are dependent on Riyadh for their survival doesn’t affect Iran since Tehran enjoys extensive ties with different world states, reminding that a senior 60-member European delegation is already in Tehran to expand ties and cooperation with Iran.
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