Tasnim � Iran�s Foreign Ministry spokesperson hit back at a Saudi minister for accusing Tehran of sponsoring terrorism, stressing that the Islamic Republic�s clout in the region is an inherent quality that derives from its culture and civilization.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Bahram Qassemi rejected the recent anti-Iran allegations raised by Saudi officials as a failed policy.

In comments on Friday, Thamer al-Sabhan, Saudi Arabia�s minister of state for the Persian Gulf region, fired a fresh verbal salvo against Iran and Hezbollah, accusing them of being at the root of terrorism and extremism in the world and calling for global action against them.

In response, Qassemi denounced the accusations as part of a failed and threadbare plot that the US and some regional countries are still pursuing to foment Iranophobia.

Iran�s presence and influence in the region is inherent and natural, the spokesman explained.

In comments in June, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei had dismissed the US allegations that Iran was destabilizing the region, saying the US and its proxies are the cause of instability in the Middle East.

Taking a swipe at the US president for accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism during a visit to Riyadh, Ayatollah Khamenei described it as �absolutely ridiculous� that Americans raise the issue of human rights in a meeting with Saudi Arabia�s �medieval and tribal rulers� and accuse the Islamic Republic, the symbol of democracy, in a place totally unfamiliar with democracy.

Such anti-Iran human rights allegations by the US officials during a trip to Saudi Arabia will remain a �historic shame� for the US forever, the Leader said at the time.