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Saudi Arabia is a 'cow being milked' by US, says Iran's supreme leader

Iran's supreme leader has claimed Saudi Arabia is a "cow being milked" by the US.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned its regional rival for signing multibillion-dollar deals with "infidel" Americans - and described its government as "stupid".

He added that the cash Saudi Arabia used to pay for weapons worth $110bn (£86bn) should have been used to "improve the lives of their own people" instead.

Mr Khamenei said: "The stupid Saudi government thinks it can attract the friendship of enemies by giving them money.

"But in reality there is no closeness and, as the Americans have said, they are just there to pump them for money like a milking cow, and later slaughter them."

The hard-line supreme leader went on to warn that Saudi Arabia's rulers are facing a "certain downfall" for aligning themselves with the US.

Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iran are on opposing sides of several conflicts across the Middle East - including the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Their poor relationship suffered a fresh blow last week when President Donald Trump accused Tehran of supporting terrorism in the Middle East during his visit to Saudi Arabia.

Despite tensions with Iran, Mr Trump has been proudly trumpeting the trade deal he secured in Riyadh, tweeting on Saturday: "Bringing hundreds of billions of dollars back to the U.S.A. from the Middle East - which will mean JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!"