Iran issued a formal protest letter to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday after barbed comments from Saudi Arabia this week accusing its regional rival of seeking to "control the Islamic world."
Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Tuesday in a rare interview that there is no prospect for dialogue with Shia rival Iran due to its "extremist ideology."
The prince also said that "we are not waiting until there becomes a battle in Saudi Arabia, so we will work so that it becomes a battle for them in Iran."
Iran's ambassador to the UN, Gholamali Khoshroo, responded angrily to the remarks, issuing a two-page letter on Thursday at a Security Council meeting chastising the comments as an "unveiled threat."