Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh is revving up the kingdom’s rhetoric against Iran, saying in comments published on Tuesday that Tehran’s leaders are “not Muslims,” in response to rancorous remarks from Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The remarks by Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh came a day after Ali Khamenei remarks against Saudi Arabia.
Their confrontational comments mark a sharp escalation in the countries’ faceoff as their spat plays out across the region.
Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh
Saudi Arabia and Iran back opposite sides of the wars in Syria and Yemen, and support opposing political groups in Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon.
The two countries severed diplomatic relations in January after angry crowds overran Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
Negotiations between the two countries over hajj security measures also collapsed earlier this year.
Source: News Media, 6 Sep. 2016
