TEHRAN – Iran on Wednesday hit back at Saudi accusations that Tehranprovides “support for terrorism”, pointing at alleged links between Riyadhand militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS).

Countries in the region “will never forget the role played by Saudi Arabiain conspiring for, supporting and arming violent terrorists and extremistssuch as Al-Qaeda and Daesh (IS) and other similar groups,” Iran’s foreignministry said.

It also singled out Saudi support for Iraq’s fallen dictator Saddam Husseinin his 1980-1988 war against Iran, its military intervention in Yemen since2015 and its apparent rapprochement with Israel.

Iran, a bitter regional rival of Saudi Arabia with which diplomatic tieswere cut in 2016, was responding to the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman who on Tuesday referred to Tehran’s “support for terrorism” during avisit to Paris.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties withQatar in June, accusing the tiny but super-rich Gulf state of supportingmilitant groups and forging close ties with Iran.

The prince described Iran, Turkey, and militant groups as the “contemporarytriangle of evil.” He said Saudi Arabia was seeking to end the closerelations between Iran on the one hand and Russia and Syria on the other.