We will not bow to pressure…and will hold Iran accountable for any action against us – Saudi FM

Vienna, Asharq Al-Awsat – Speaking to reporters in Vienna on Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal stressed that his country will “hold Iran accountable for any action taken against us.”  He described the alleged Iranian-backed plot to assassinate Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, as being “villainous”, and accused Tehran of seeking to extend its influence abroad through “murder and mayhem.”  The Saudi Foreign Minister stressed that Riyadh “will not bow to such pressure” and said that his country will take a “measured response” to the purported Iranian assassination attempt.

Speaking during a press conference following the inauguration of the International King Abdullah Center for Dialogue in Vienna, the Saudi Foreign Minister stressed that “any action taken against us will be met with a measured response” adding that “this is not the first time that Iran has been suspected of carrying out similar operations [as the assassination plot].”  He also denounced Tehran’s attempts to interfere in Arab affairs.

When asked what response Saudi Arabia will take against Iran, Prince Saud al-Faisal answered “we have to wait and see.”

The Saudi Foreign Minister also stressed that “intrigues and conspiracies will not lead to any result, particularly against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”  Prince Saud al-Faisal explicitly announced that his country holds Iran responsible for the foiled assassination plot which targeted Saudi ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir.  He said that all the evidence shows that “Iran is responsible”, and said that Tehran had tried to “meddle” in the affairs of Arab states before, in order to “create instability” and harm diplomatic relations between states.

Prince Saud al-Faisal also expressed his regret at Iran’s actions, saying that “such action hurts us; for Iran is a neighboring…and Muslim country” adding that “we did not expect Iran to take such action.”

Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat following this press conference, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal played down Iran’s attempts to compete with Saudi Arabia’s regional influence in the Middle East.  He said “Iran is trying” adding that “if Iran wants to try this [to compete with Saudi Arabia in the Middle East], let it try.”  He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the [Iranian] leader must be aware of the interests of those he is sponsoring [in our region], not just his own interests.”

Answering a question during the press conference, as to whether Riyadh intends to recall its ambassador from Tehran, the Saudi Foreign Minister said “we have to wait for the Kingdom’s decision.”  He also made reference to what he described as other Iranian “interference” in Arab affairs, saying that “this action [the assassination plot] is not the first of its kind regarding Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as Kuwait has arrested Iranian agents [in the past], whilst Iran has also interfered in Lebanon, Iraq, and other [Arab] states.”

The Saudi Foreign Minister made these comments as US President Barack Obama warned Tehran that it would face the toughest possible sanctions for the alleged Iranian-backed plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

In his first public comments on the affair, Obama said that “this is part of a pattern of dangerous and reckless behavior by the Iranian government” and stressed that the United States would not take any options off the table in dealing with Tehran, which is US diplomatic code for the possibility of military action.

The US President stressed that Washington would continue “to apply the toughest sanctions and continue to mobilize the international community to make sure that Iran is further and further isolated and pays a price for this kind of behavior.”

The US Treasury Department said it was weighing more sanctions against Iran’s central bank in order to increase pressure on the Tehran regime.  US Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen told a Senate committee, “we’re looking quite intensively at how to ratchet up the pressure.”