General Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, said in a recent televised address that the Saudis are not really Muslims, but actually Jews.
In the address, which aired on January 7 on Bushehr TV and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Tangsiri elaborated that they are "the same Jews" who opposed the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia.
In addition, he said that the grudge that "the enemies" harbored towards IRGC Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani resembles the grudges that were held towards Imam Hussein in Karbala.
"We cannot bear to see injustice in a Muslim country that is perpetrated by the Zionists and the seed of the Jews. [We cannot bear to see] that the Muslims are being slaughtered by people who call themselves Christians but are not. These are the very same Jews — I'd better say Zionists — whose hearts have never aligned with Islam, and even with the Prophet in his time," claimed Tangsiri.
"The grudge that the enemies harbored towards Hajj Qasem [Soleimani] resembles their grudge towards Imam Hussein in Karbala. It also resembles [the grudge] in the wars of Uhud and Khaybar by Jews who are only Muslim by name. This grudge still exists. Are the Saud clan really Muslims? They are the same Jews who were in Arabia back then."
Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals which back opposing sides in the wars in Yemen, where Iran backs the Houthi rebels and in Syria, where the Iranian regime supports President Bashar Al-Assad while the Saudis back the rebels trying to oust him.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly called on Iran to stop its “meddling” in the affairs of the kingdom's neighbors.
Iran has fired back, accusing Saudi Arabia of trying to “drag the entire region into confrontation”.
However, the two countries been engaged in talks since last April, with the aim of improving relations, for the first time since cutting ties in 2016.
The talks between the two regional rivals in Baghdad, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting was held on April 9, 2021.