The US and UK should leave Iran alone, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has said. The official also suggested that the two nations are dismayed by the success of China’s efforts to reconcile Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Speaking on Wednesday, Naryshkin said he would advise the “Anglo-Saxons to take care of their own internal civil conflicts. Or better yet, go to their old pal – the devil.”
According to the official, Washington and London view the recent normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in a strictly negative light. He claimed that the two allies are wary that Beijing’s diplomatic activities in the region could undermine their long-term strategy to weaken the Islamic Republic.
Naryshkin went on to allege that American and British government agencies have been tasked with derailing China’s diplomatic efforts and discrediting its role as a mediator. He cited narratives to this effect in the media, adding, however, that the US and UK are unlikely to succeed with their supposed smear campaign “in the new geopolitical reality.”