Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, marked the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by ripping Saudi Arabia, saying its Sunni rival is being pumped for money by the U.S., according to Agence France-Presse.
“These people appear to believe in the Koran, but in practice they act against its teachings,” the leader of the majority Shia Muslim country said in Tehran on Saturday.
Khamenei’s comments comes after President Trump brokered a $110 billion defense deal with the Saudis during his first foreign trip in office.
“They are close with the infidels and offer the enemy the money they should be using to improve the lives of their own people,” the Iranian leader said in a meeting.
“But in reality there is no closeness and, as the Americans have said, they are just there to pump them for money like a milking cow, and later slaughter them,” he continued.
The defense deal between the U.S. and the Saudis will bolster Riyadh’s defense capabilities by providing more equipment and services to combat extremist terror groups and Iran.
Trump received a warm welcome during last week’s trip to Saudi Arabia. The president slammed Iran in a speech in Riyadh, saying the U.S. and Saudi Arabia should “work together to isolate Iran.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Trump’s visit to the Sunni stronghold “a theatrical gathering with no practical or political value.”