![Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz addresses the opening session of a summit of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in Mecca on June 1st. [Bandar al-Dandani/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2019/11/20/21028-Salman-bin-Abdulaziz-700_496.webp)
Saudi Arabia's King Salman urged Iran on Wednesday (November 20th) to abandon an expansionist ideology that has "harmed" its own people, following violent street protests in the Islamic Republic.
A wave of demonstrations erupted in the sanctions-hit country on Friday after an announcement that gasoline prices would be raised by as much as 200% with immediate effect.
"We hope the Iranian regime chooses the side of wisdom and realises there is no way to overcome the international position that rejects its practices, without abandoning its expansionist and destructive thinking that has harmed its own people," the king told the consultative Shura Council.
The two countries have no diplomatic ties and are at odds over a range of issues, including the wars in Syria and Yemen.
"The kingdom has suffered from the policies and practices of the Iranian regime and its proxies," King Salman said, reiterating that Riyadh does not seek war but is "ready to defend its people".
Saudi leaders regularly accuse Iran of stirring conflicts in the region.
In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) have been fighting the government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- for over four years.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the conflict in 2015, shortly after the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa.
Tensions have soared between Riyadh and Tehran after a recent string of assaults on oil tankers and installations in the Gulf.
In the latest attack on September 14th, drone strikes targeted two Saudi oil facilities, temporarily knocking out half of the kingdom's oil production.
The attacks were claimed by the Houthis, but Iran is widely believed to be responsible for the strikes, carried out with advanced missiles and drones.
