Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram
Qassemi on Monday called on Saudi rulers to abandon their "bad behavior"
and instead answer Iran's call for dialog and interaction, according to Press TV.
"Our
response to the bad behavior and improper remarks of Saudi authorities
is that we do not want tensions," Qassemi told reporters during his
weekly news briefing, adding Tehran is ready for dialog with Riyadh.
"However,
dialog and understanding does not mean an endorsement of all the
things governments and countries do. Either at the regional level or on
the issue of Yemen and Iran, Saudi Arabia is involved in strategic
mistakes."
Qassemi said Iran is hopeful that Saudi Arabia would be ready for dialog with Iran in "a fair environment".
"We
hope they would realize their mistakes and create an atmosphere for
understanding and negotiation through making up for their past
mistakes,” he added.
Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have escalated since the kingdom executed a prominent Shia cleric in January 2016.
The
execution triggered angry protests in many countries, including Iran.
Protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in
Mashhad, prompting Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with the Islamic
Republic.
Saudi authorities have also become increasingly
belligerent in their verbal attacks on Iran. Deputy Crown Prince and
Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman recently said, "We will work to
have the battle in Iran rather than in Saudi Arabia."
Read more:
· Saudi Arabia must stop anti-Iran policies, allegations
Relations
between the two countries first soured after a deadly human crush
during Hajj rituals in Mina, near Mecca, in September 2015, which
claimed the lives of hundreds of Iranian pilgrims among others.
Nuclear deal
Elsewhere
in his news conference, Qassemi urged the United States to adopt a
"pragmatic” approach as regards the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and
world powers.
Despite the deal, the US is refusing to give
guarantees to international banks against punitive measures which
Washington is likely to mete out for transactions with Iran.
Non-nuclear sanctions
Qassemi
said President Hassan Rouhani, who is seeking re-election, also plans
to have the non-nuclear sanctions against the country lifted.
"We will try to remove these sanctions, which have certain complications,” he said, without explanation.
"Some
of these issues are related to the US, and some to other countries,”
Qassemi said, urging the other side to reciprocate Iran's goodwill and
fairness.
The spokesman further described an ongoing mass hunger
strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as indicative of their
resistance against Israeli aggression.
He also said in the absence
of diplomatic ties with Iran, Canada has been urged through the United
Nations to allow Iranian expatriates to vote in the Islamic Republic's
presidential election on May 19.
Qassemi put the Canadian government's lack of cooperation down to its "domestic problems.”
Turkey's border wall
The
spokesman said Iran welcomes Turkey's plan to build a 144-kilometer
wall along its border as long as it bolsters security in the region.
Ankara
announced the decision last week, saying the wall was aimed at
halting the movement of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants who are
based in Iraq’s Qandil mountains bordering Iran and Turkey.
Qassemi
said the wall will be in Turkish territory, and not "right on the
border," adding "we welcome any move that increases the security and
stability of the border."
Turkish officials, he said, had informed their Iranian counterparts of their plan before the announcement.
The
border wall is being constructed with three-meter concrete blocks
topped off with razor wire, according to Turkish authorities.
PJAK
militants, which are affiliated to the PKK, occasionally use the border
to carry out terrorist attacks against Iran. Smugglers also bring
bootleg goods, like alcohol, into Iran from Turkey and northern Iraq.
