Sunni-Shiite tension biggest threat, says Iranian FM

DUBAI - Reuters

‘Nobody should try to fan the flames of sectarian violence,’ says Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. AFP photo

Tension between Sunni and Shiite Muslims is the biggest threat to world security, Iran’s foreign minister said in comments published Nov. 11, accusing Sunni Arab countries of “fanning the flames” of sectarian conflict.

The sectarian tension is “the most serious security threat not only to the region but to the world at large”, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the BBC.

Accusation to Saudi Arabia

“I think we need to come to understand that a sectarian divide in the Islamic world is a threat to all of us.” Zarif, a U.S.-educated former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, called for regional powers to come together to try to solve the conflict in Syria.

“I think all of us,” he said, “regardless of our differences on Syria, we need to work together on the sectarian issue.”

But, the BBC said, without naming any countries directly, Zarif accused Sunni Arab leaders of “fanning the flames” of sectarian violence. “This business of fear-mongering has been a prevalent business,” he said. “Nobody should try to fan the flames of sectarian violence. We should reign it in, bring it to a close, try to avoid a conflict that would be detrimental to everybody’s security.”