Zarif hits back at Saudi official over ‘normal state’ remarks

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has slammed a senior Saudi Foreign Ministry official for making remarks against the Islamic Republic, saying a "normal" country do not refuse to talk.

Zarif took to his official Twitter account on Friday to give response to Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir who told CNBC on Thursday that a restoration of ties with Iran will be possible when Iran "returns to a normal state."

Speaking at a World Economic Forum panel in Davos, Switzerland, Jubeir accused Iran of “meddling” in Iraq’s internal affairs and said, "The Iranians have to show good faith, the Iranians have to change their behavior and their policies."

In his tweet, Zarif said Saudi Arabia cannot be called a “normal” country when it caused a humanitarian crisis in Yemen and killed its dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Turkey.

"'Normal' countries don’t operate abattoirs disguised as consulates. ‘Normal' countries don’t attack their neighbors, cause a humanitarian crisis, and refuse to talk," he said.

However, the top Iranian diplomat said Tehran was ready for talks without any preconditions.

"Nonetheless, WE don’t set preconditions for dialog," he pointed out.

Khashoggi, a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who later became a critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was killed after being lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad.

SS