Turki al-Faisal: "US & Syria are to blame for Tehran's influence... "

Saudi Al Watan, here and AP, here

"...."Iran is a paper tiger with claws of steel," the paper quoted him as saying .....Prince Turki al-Faisal's remarks came at a closed-door meeting Saturday at the University of Jordan's Strategic Studies Center. They were reported on Sunday by an Arab diplomat in Jordan and a former Jordanian official, both of whom attended the meeting, as well as Saudi Arabia's Al-Watan newspaper. The two men spoke on condition of anonymity because of issue's sensitivity. "Arab differences represent a main reason for the increased Iranian role in the region that comes at the expense of crucial Arab interests and issues," said Turki, according to Al-Watan. .......blame Syria, a close ally of Tehran, for helping it gain influence in crises they believe are none of Persian Iran's business, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, inter-Palestinian fighting and Lebanon's simmering tensions. .....Saudi Arabia also believes that the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq has allowed Iran to become the most influential power in that country and deepened Sunni-Shiite rifts across the region. In September 2005, Prince Saud told the Council on Foreign Relations that Washington is essentially handing Iraq to Iran on a gold platter...."