Detroit-Based Shiite Imam Hassan Qazwini Praises Houthis for Saudi Oil Field Attacks, Says: If Iran Launched the Attacks, It Is Trump's Fault Because He Withdrew from the JCPOA

In a Friday, September 20, 2019 sermon at the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Iraqi-born Shiite Imam Hassan Qazwini praised the Houthis for the September 14 bombing of the Abqaiq and Khurais oil installations in Saudi Arabia. Qazwini said that the Saudis only understand the language of force and that nobody could blame Iran for launching the attacks if the claims that it did so are true. He said that any Iranian involvement in the attacks would have been solely the fault of U.S. President Donald Trump because he unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, and he said that an all-out war in the Middle East would also be President Trump's fault. In addition, Qazwini said that the Saudis need to "man up" because they were the ones, along with Israel, who pressured the U.S. into leaving the JCPOA. He said that Allah is punishing the Saudis for wanting to "choke up" 80 million Muslims in Iran, and he said that the Saudis are facing the consequences of having schemed against people in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and Bahrain. In addition, he expressed hope that that Saudi rulers wake up "before it is too late." The sermon was streamed live on the Islamic Institute of America's YouTube channel.

Following are excerpts:

Hassan Qazwini: The Houthis in Yemen claimed that they attacked the oil installation of Saudi Arabia after sustaining a barbaric war for almost over four years. Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen and has been ripping off this nation, killing women, children, and the elderly, and demolishing thousands of homes. Now, finally, the Houthis decided to teach the Saudis a lesson. Good for them! Good for them! It seems that he Saudi regime does not know any language but the language of force. Trust me, they know no other language. Now, there have been claims by the United States of America and Saudi Arabia that the attacks that took place in Saudi Arabia’s oil refineries were launched by Iran. We don’t know if that is true or not. But let’s say, for the sake of conversation, that it is true that it is Iran… Do you blame Iran?

Well, first, I want to tell our President, who withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran:  This is what your own hand did. This is… You are reaping what your hand sowed. You withdraw from this agreement, that the representatives of six superpowers in the world have agreed [to], and you bilaterally [sic] withdrew. You basically caused this chaos and you wreaked this havoc. Blame nobody but yourself, Mr. President. You did this. You brought this to yourself. God forbid, if there will be an all-out war in the region, it is because of your unwise decision. By withdrawing from the agreement, signed by all the superpowers in 2015, you were the first one who breached that agreement. Now, Mr. President, you need to suffer the consequences.

Now, as for the Saudis, I need to say: Man up! For 50 to 60 years, you are relying on Americans to protect you. Now, it is the day that America is telling you: “Go to Hell! We are not going to help you. You protect yourself. You defend yourself.”

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The Saudi government thought that the U.S. will always protect them. Now the U.S. is telling them: “No, we are not your mercenaries. We are not willing to send American soldiers to die for your adventures. You go ahead and defend yourself.”

Do you know who instigated this whole discord, my dear brothers and sisters, and who encouraged Trump to withdraw from the agreement? Two countries: Israel and Saudi Arabia. They kept on pushing and pushing and pushing and insisting that Trump withdraw from the agreement. Now, Saudis, you have to face the consequences of your own instigation and of your own discord and troublemaking. This is something that you did for yourself. You wanted to choke up 80 million Muslims in Iran, and Allah is showing you how He can easily choke you up by destroying your oil industry and oil faculties.  You didn’t care when the Iranian people were suffering because of your instigation. Now that you are suffering, you are wailing and screaming and saying: “Ouch! Ouch!”

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[The Saudis] were accomplices in this, igniting this fire, and now the fire has come to burn their hand, Allah be praised. So Allah’s work and miracles work through a mysterious way, my dear brothers and sisters.

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For so many decades, they have been scheming against people in Lebanon, against people in Syria, against people in Iraq, against people in Yemen, against people in Iran, and against people in Bahrain. Now, praise be to Allah, they are facing the consequences of their own instigation and their own discord.

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I really hope that the rulers of Saudi Arabia will wake up today, before it is too late, and stop playing with fire and stop causing discord in the Muslim world.