War with Iran will break out in "10 to 15 years" if international sanctions fail to stop Iran from destabilizing the Middle East, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned in an interview with The Wall Street Journal during his visit to the U.S. last week .
Saudi Arabia, along with Israel, has been a harsh critic of the controversial Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2015. The deal loosened international sanctions on the Islamic republic and the crown prince called on the international community to keep the sanctions up, as they "will create more pressure on the regime."
"We have to succeed so as to avoid military conflict," said the 32-year-old heir apparent, who deals with the daily administration of Saudi Arabia. "If we don't succeed in what we are trying to do, we will likely have war with Iran in 10 to 15 years."
The prince also responded in The Wall Street Journal to a barrage of ballistic missiles fired into Saudi Arabia last week by Houthi rebels in Yemen, dismissing the attacks as weakness. "They want to do whatever they can do before they collapse," he said.
Saudi Arabia has led an international coalition to help Yemeni government forces to fight Shiite Houthi rebels since 2015. Iran, an ally of the Houthis, is accused of supplying the rebels with weapons and supplies.
"If we didn't act in 2015, we would have had Yemen divided in half between the Houthis and al-Qaida," the prince said.
In response to the Saudi prince, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi warned him "not to dice with death."
Qassemi reportedly called on more experienced Saudi officials to teach the prince what happened to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein after challenging the "Iranian nation's resolve."
"This delusional novice, who is still too big for his boots, either does not know what war is, or has not studied history, or unfortunately has not talked to a venerable person," Qassemi said, according to Iranian media reports.
Quoting the 13th-century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi, Qassemi also warned Prince Mohammed that "the ant seeking to grapple with an eagle is hastening to perish."
Qassemi asked Persian linguists in the Saudi court to accurately translate the proverb for the crown prince.
