Speaking on Monday, May 17, Saeed Khatibzadeh told a press conference about a recent attack on Iranian ships: “The attack on the vessels in high seas in the Mediterranean has been investigated; I have not seen the reports, we should wait for the relevant authorities to submit their final report about the issue.”

Asked about the Middle East Eye's claim that Iran has asked for help in selling oil and circumventing sanctions in talks with Saudi Arabia, he added: "Iran's talks with Saudi Arabia are being pursued on bilateral, regional and international issues and anything else is about the issue is fundamentally baseless.”