President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is ready to restore ties with Saudi Arabia if it stops bombing Yemen and cuts its alleged ties with Israel.In a speech broadcast Sunday, Rouhani said the regional rivals could have "good relations" if the Saudis end their "false friendship" with Israel and halt the "inhuman bombardment" of Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iranian-allied rebels known as Houthis, as reported by AP.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian demonstrators attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent dissident cleric. Tensions spiked again last month after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted near Riyadh. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has led Saudi Arabia into a two-year-old war in Yemen, where the government says it is fighting Iran-aligned militants, and a row with neighboring Qatar, which it accuses of backing terrorists, a charge Doha denies.
Detractors of the crown prince say both moves are dangerous adventurism.The two camps support rival sides in countries across the region, in Yemen, Lebanon, Syrian and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, but the two countries have a shared interest in countering Iran.Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also criticized Saudi Arabia over what he called "unprecedented" interference in Lebanese affairs and added his voice to those who suspect the Gulf kingdom forced Lebanon's prime minister to resign.
The surprise resignation had thrown the Lebanese government into disarray and exposed a new front for the tensions between the Sunni powerhouse and its archrival Shiite-led Iran. Compiled from wires
