Vedant Patel, principal deputy U.S. State Department spokesman, was asked during Tuesday’s press briefing about Iranian leader Ali Khamenei’s statement that Arab countries that embrace Israel are “betting on a losing horse.”
“What I will just say is that I’m not sure that we are really interested in the supreme leader’s point of view on this when it comes to what we think could be a potentially transformative normalization agreement for the region,” Patel responded.
“What I will also just add is that part of this, of course, with these countries—with Israel, with, of course, Saudi Arabia—the nexus of our bilateral relationships with both of these countries is, of course, the role that they play in countering and combating against the malign and destabilizing activities that the Iranian regime partakes in in the region,” Patel added.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also dismissed the Iranian leader’s statement.
“While Khamenei’s terrorist regime exports ruin and destruction, Israel is advancing progress and peace,” he said.
