“The weapons that are provided to the Arab states in the region with the goal of spreading fear and intimidation among the Middle East countries, will one day be used against the West itself,” Ismail Kowsari said on Tuesday.
The deputy chairman of Iran Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy said the flow of Western arms into the Middle East is due to the bankruptcy of military companies hit by Europe’s economic crisis.
“The West is trying to make up for its budget deficit as far as possible by selling weapons to the countries in the (Mideast) region and prevent the closure of its companies,” he explained.
Kowsari further called on Arab rulers to avoid helping the militarization of the Middle East by spending their petrodollars in line with the West’s colonial ambitions, but instead help reinforce regional security by investing in the economic sectors and boosting production.
The remarks come after Saudi Arabia pushed to purchase German patrol ships, following Riyadh's attempts in late 2012 to ink a deal with Berlin to purchase NBC armored reconnaissance tanks, battle tanks and armored transport vehicles.
Saudi demands have prompted protests from Germany’s opposition and experts who express concern over the consequences of such deals with the Arab kingdom, where the Al Saud regime has been using force to silence critics and clamp down on peaceful protests.
According to the German Arms export report "Rustungsexportbericht" in 2011, Saudi Arabia ranks 12th among the largest importers of German arms by importing military equipment worth USD1.74 billion.
Other recipients include Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Israel, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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