Ebrahim Yazdi, Iran's first foreign minister after the 1979 Revolution, talked about his concerns regarding the continuous hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia in an exclusive phone interview with Al-Monitor. He said, "If this hostility continues, it will create chaos and insecurity for all the countries in the region and will increase the likelihood of a military confrontation and secession in the region. It will not be beneficial for any country in the region.”
Yazdi, who is the secretary-general of the Freedom Movement of Iran (Nehzat-e Azadi-e Iran), has been repeatedly arrested for criticizing the Iranian government. He was detained after the 2009 contested elections and again in 2010 for his political activities. In May 2011, he wrote a letter to Tunisian leader Rached Ghannouchi, urging him to learn from Iran’s mistakes and respect diversity and plurality.