Iranian commander offers rare advice
The special military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has called for Tehran to strengthen ties with the Gulf states and avoid increasing tensions with Saudi Arabia.
Amid a growing war of words between Saudi Arabia and Iran, in particular revolving around the one-year anniversary of the 2015 hajj stampede that killed more than 400 Iranians, Maj. Gen. Yayha Rahim Safavi, special military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned against further escalating matters with its regional rival.
“In the realm of geopolitics, we have a geopolitical rival in the name of Saudi Arabia,” said Safavi, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (1997-2007), during a speech at the Center for International Research and Education of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Either way, in this realm, my recommendation is that we have to improve our relations with Oman, Kuwait and even Qatar. And in our relations with Saudi Arabia, we have to act cautiously. In no way must we move toward the conflict [with the] Saudis.”
