Persian Gulf update 11/06/2017..Saudi Arabia blames Iran for missile attack

IRGC commander denies Iran gave Yemenis missiles

Iran: Guards chief rejects Trump’s claim Iran behind Saudi missile

Saudi Arabia blames Iran for missile attack

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The Iranian foreign ministry dismissed as “baseless” the Saudi-led coalition allegations that Tehran has supplied Yemen with the recent missile that was fired in the recent strike against an airport in Riyadh. “The Saudis who have not been able to attain their ominous goals in the long war and military aggression put themselves in more bottlenecks using naïve and improper psychological operations by raising stupid, baseless and fully false allegations,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday. He described the Yemenis’ reaction as an independent measure whose root causes should be found in the Saudis’ aggressions and not another country’s move or provocation. Qassemi advised the Saudi coalition not to project the blame on others, immediately stop attacks against the innocent Yemeni people and pave the ground for Yemeni-Yemeni talks and establishment of peace in that country. His remarks came after Saudi Arabia accused Iran of being responsible for the ballistic missile launched from Yemen that targeted Riyadh airport on Saturday, warning that it could be “considered an act of war.” The statement came after US President Donald Trump’s similar allegations against Iran.

In response, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari dismissed US officials’ allegations about the supply of Iranian missiles to the Yemeni Ansarullah group. “The US can’t accuse Iran of any event that happens in the region, although this is not unlikely of the enemy to raise such accusations,” General Hatami said on Sunday. “The enemy uses any opportunity to level accusations against Iran and we firmly reject it,” he added. “Does anyone ask the US what they supply to Saudi Arabia,” General Hatami said.

Meantime, General Jafari dismissed the allegations that Iran has supplied Ansarullah with missiles that hit the Saudi airport as “baseless”. “We don’t have the means and possibility to send missiles to Yemen and the missiles belong to themselves and they have increased their range,” he underlined. General Jafari said that the allegations are of a series of “baseless remarks and allegations” that US President Donald Trump has leveled against Iran.

Late on Saturday, a Riyadh-based press outlet reported that Saudi Arabia’s air force had intercepted a ballistic missile which had been fired from Yemen over the Saudi capital. Trump, responding to the attack, expressed his support for the Saudi-led coalition and put the blame on Iran. Ansarullah movement claimed responsibility for firing a long-range ballistic missile that travelled more than 800km over the border with Saudi Arabia. A spokesman for Ansarollah told Al Jazeera they launched a Burkan 2-H missile towards Riyadh late on Saturday, a Scud-type missile with a range of more than 800km. “The capital cities of countries that continually shell us, targeting innocent civilians, will not be spared from our missiles,” the spokesman said. Al Masirah, a TV network run by Ansarollah, also claimed responsibility for the attack on their social media account.

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Qatar, Turkey Hold Defense Talks in Doha as Persian Gulf Crisis Continues

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Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli met his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah in Doha amid a Saudi-led embargo on the tiny Persian Gulf nation. The two ministers discussed cooperation opportunities in military and defense, according to sources close to the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, Al Waght reported.

Earlier, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag met the Qatari Health Minister Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari in the Turkish capital Ankara. They discussed cooperation in the field of health and medicine. Turkey backs Qatar in the Persian Gulf crisis that was triggered early June when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar accusing Doha of funding “terrorism”. Qatar has vehemently rejected the allegations as “baseless”.

On June 22, the Saudi-leg regimes issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade. Doha rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe Qatar’s sovereignty.

A key ally of Qatar, Turkey has established a military base in the country – the first Turkish overseas military installation in the Persian Gulf region.

Turkey’s siding with Qatar in its spat with Saudi-led regime marks the latest demonstration of the Ankara’s increased desire to spread its influence as a powerful player in the regional and global arena.

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Nasrallah: Al-Hariri’s resignation was dictated by the Saudis

Saudi Whistle-Blower: Saad Al-Hariri Forced to Resign

Saudi whistle-blower Mujtahid, who is believed to be a member of or have a well-connected source in the royal family, revealed that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri was forced by the Saudi officials to resign.

“Hariri played no role in his resignation. The statement issued by Hariri was written for him and he was displeased with its contents and declaration of resignation in Riyadh,” Mujtahid wrote on his twitter page on Monday.

He also dismissed Hariri’s claims that his resignation is for the fear of life, and said Hezbollah poses no threat to Hariri and based on the intelligence obtained by the Saudi security bodies the Takfiri groups are a bigger danger.

Mujtahid added that the main reason behind recalling Hariri to Riyadh was returning his properties from outside Saudi Arabia as he is a Saudi citizen and is now under detention along with the country’s princes and officials who have been recently arrested.

A former Lebanese minister revealed on Sunday that Hariri is under detention in Saudi Arabia.

“I call on the Lebanese government to guarantee Saad Hariri’s safe return to the country and I emphasize that he has been detained and he was interrogated after his friend (Khalid) al-Tuwaijri (Chief of the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia under King Abdullah) was arrested,” Wiam Wahhab was quoted as saying by Bahrain’s Arabic-language al-Wasat newspaper.

The Saudi media reported that the country’s security forces have detained a number of princes and former ministers and officials, including al-Tuwaijiri.

Al-Hariri resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia in a surprise move that plunged the country into uncertainty amid heightened regional tensions.

In a televised address from Riyadh, al-Hariri launched a vicious tirade against Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group for what he claimed was their meddling in Arab affairs.

Al-Hariri was appointed prime minister in late 2016 and headed a 30-member national unity cabinet.

Al-Hariri’s resignation on Saturday was expected to sharply raise tensions in the country.

In his speech, he claimed he feared for his life and that the atmosphere in the country is similar to the one that existed before his father, the late prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, was assassinated in 2005.