'Powerful' Iran 'falsely' accused of everything: Guards

TEHRAN: Iran's Revolutionary Guards' commander said on Thursday the country is "so powerful" that it is "falsely" accused of being behind any regional incident, days after attacks on Saudi oil installations, Fars news agency reported.

All paths are closed to Iran's enemies seeking to infiltrate the country, said Guards' commander Major General Hossein Salami, adding the country's border guards are vigilant.

"We've gone beyond such concerns, and the enemy knows it too. Today we are so powerful that they are forced to falsely accuse us to be behind any incident," Fars quoted Salami as saying.

Oil attacks ‘unquestionably’ sponsored by Iran: Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have claimed responsibility for Saturday's strikes, but the United States claims it has concluded the attacks involved cruise missiles from Iran.

The attacks on Saudi energy giant Aramco's Abqaiq processing plant and Khurais oil field halved the kingdom's oil output.

Salami's remarks were part of a speech made to villagers at North Khorasan province, detailing the Guards' outreach programs for the poor.

Saudi Arabia, which has been bogged down in a five-year war in Yemen, has said the weapons used in the attacks were Iranian-made but has not directly blamed its regional arch-rival.

Tehran has repeatedly denied accusations from Washington and Riyadh that it arms the Huthis.