Iran: Middle East-U.S. allies face risk of uprising by their own 'humiliated citizens'
"Trump and even his underlings ridicule and humiliate Saudi Arabia and the Emirates day and night, saying that you're nothing without us and cannot last a day without America's support."
By ZACHARY KEYSERSaleh al-Arouri (L), Hamas deputy chief, meets with Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, in Tehran, Iran October 21, 2017. (photo credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani forewarned Middle Eastern allies of the United States that their countries are facing the likely possibility of an uprising by their "humiliated citizens" if they continue relying on Washington for support.On state-run media, the Iranian official referred to comments US President Donald Trump has made in the past about how much the Middle East leans on the US, and Trump's claims that the some of those countries wouldn't survive without its military support to provide reasoning for his argument."We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they're rich? And I love the king... King Salman, but I said, 'King, we're protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military,'" Trump said at a rally last October.Shamkhani believes that these comments will lead to public disapproval against the leaders of US allied Gulf states, and a possible uprising to follow."Trump and even his underlings ridicule and humiliate Saudi Arabia and the [United Arab] Emirates day and night, saying that you're nothing without us and cannot last a day without America's support," Shamkhani said.Iranian relations with their Gulf neighbors have recently come under strife, when tensions escalated in February after Iran lashed out at the US, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel for an attack that killed 27 members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on February 13.Iranian state media said that the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed when a suicide bomber struck a bus that was traveling on a road not far from the Pakistan border between Zahedan to Khash. A statement from the IRGC’s communication’s department of the Quds Force said that the suicide attack was carried out by “Takfiri terrorists,” a term usually indicating Sunni jihadist groups. It said a unit of IRGC troops was returning from completing a border mission and were on their way home. The bomb was detonated adjacent to the bus, which was carrying the IRGC unit.The attack came as the US and other countries were attending meetings in Warsaw that have been widely seen as part of an attempt to confront Iran in the region."Our prediction about America's allies in the region is that if they continue the policy of relying on Islam's enemies, they will face the uprising of their humiliated citizens," said Shamkhani said in comments to IRNA news.Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.
