Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, has said this week that Iran "represents the three main ills of the region." In an interview with Foreign Affairs published on Thursday, Prince Muhammad was quoted as saying that three "ills" represented and instigated by Iran are: "borderless ideologies, state instability, and terrorism." He was cited as saying that the problem lied at the "radical regime born of the 1979 Iranian Revolution." Prince Muhammad said there was "no point in negotiating with a power that is committed to exporting its exclusivist ideology, engaging in terrorism, and violating the sovereignty of other nations." He added that until Tehran changes its deeply problematic outlook and behavior, Saudi Arabia has much to lose from prematurely proposing rapprochement and cooperation. Riyadh broke off relations with Tehran after its embassy there was attacked by Iranians last year.
