Rouhani claims Iran saved Saudi Arabia, UAE from Iraq
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates owed their existence to Iran because
it had refused to help former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invade the two
countries, state TV reported, according to Reuters.
“Had it not been for Iran’s rational decision back then not
to cooperate with Saddam, there would have been no trace of these countries
today,” Rouhani said. “They owe their existence today to Iran.”
Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, which resulted in the
seven-month-long Iraqi occupation of the country.
“Before invading Saudi neighbor Kuwait, Saddam had told Iran
that Iraq and Iran will be sharing 800 kilometers (497 miles) in border in the
Persian Gulf,” Rouhani said.
“This shows that Saddam was seeking to occupy Saudi Arabia,
Oman, the Emirates, and Qatar in addition to Kuwait.”
Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are involved in proxy
wars from Yemen to Syria.