Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi accused Saudi Arabia of seeking tension in the region, saying the Saudi deputy crown prince had made "destructive" comments by ruling out dialogue with Tehran.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Saudi defence minister and a son of King Salman, said that he would protect his kingdom from what he called Iranian efforts to dominate the Muslim world.
"These comments are proof that Saudi Arabia supports terrorism and seeks confrontational and destructive policies in the region and towards Iran," Reuters cited Ghasemi as saying.
He said such remarks, in the most optimistic of scenarios, showed Saudis lacked a correct understanding of regional issues.
