The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, Gen. Qasem Soleimani, rejected accusations that the Islamic Republic of Iran is looking to stir up trouble in the region, a complaint that is often leveled against Iran by Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, in particular Saudi Arabia.

During a memorial for martyrs at Al-Rasool mosque in Kerman, Soleimani gave a rare speech in which he defended Iran’s policies in the region, addressed accusations of sectarianism and criticized Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

On the country’s regional policy, Soleimani said, “Since the principles of the Islamic Republic have no similarities to its enemies' principles, they cannot accept [Iran's] policy, so they call it adventurism.” He added, “Everyone, especially our youth, has to realize this in gatherings and not be subject to political whisperings that adventurism is taking place in our country."

Iran currently has a number of forces fighting alongside the Syrian army and Hezbollah in Syria. They have been battling a variety of Sunni opposition groups backed by Sunni countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, which accuse Iran of helping the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for sectarian reasons. Soleimani rejected these accusations.