Iran must withdraw its "occupying" forces from Syria to help resolve that country's conflict, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Monday after talks with his German counterpart. "Our reservations are about Iran's policy in the region, not about Iran as a country or people," Prince Saud said at a joint news conference in the Red Sea city of Jeddah with Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
"In many conflicts, Iran is part of the problem, not the solution," Prince Saud said, charging that Shia-dominated Iran had forces in Syria "fighting Syrians". "In this case, we can say that Iranian forces in Syria are occupying forces," aiding President Bashar al-Assad, whom he described as an "illegitimate" leader. Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf states support rebel groups which have been battling Assad since March 2011 in a war which has killed more than 180,000 people. Assad receives financial and military aid from Iran, which denies having fighters on the ground.