Iranian official hits back at China over statements in Saudi Arabia

Shafaq News/ The deputy director of political affairs at the Iranian president’s office, Mohammad Jamshidi, slammed a joint China-Saudi Arabia communique critical of Tehran's foreign policy, highlighting Iran's "effective counter-terrorism fight" in the Middle East.

Earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the Saudi kingdom, where he held talks with Riyadh's rulers over wider cooperation.

In a final communique, Beijing endorsed Riyadh's rhetoric against Tehran's nuclear program and regional activities, indifferent to the Asian state's friendly relations with the Islamic Republic.

The two countries called on Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, "maintain the non-proliferation regime, and emphasize respect for the principles of good-neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs of states."

Addressing "Chinese colleagues", Jamshidi said they "should keep in mind that at a time when Saudi Arabia and America supported Daesh (ISIS) and al-Qaeda terror groups in Syria and destroyed Yemen in a savage military aggression, it was Iran that fought the terrorists in order to restore stability and security in the region and prevent terrorism from spreading to the East and West."

Iranian media quoted Yaghoub Reza-Zadeh, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, saying the legislative body is expected to discuss the communique at a session on Sunday