Iran mocks Saudi threats but worries about destabilisation

But while deriding the threat of direct Saudi military action, conservative analysts in Tehran did express worry about what they said were increasingly coordinated efforts by the United States and its allies to destabilise the country.

The latest flashpoint in the ever-volatile region came on Sunday when Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen fired seven missiles into Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh said the missiles were Iranian-made and vowed "to respond against Iran at the right time and right place". Iran supports the Huthis, but denies any military ties. "The aim of such claims by Saudi Arabia is to divert public opinion from the atrocities (they) are committing in Yemen," said Yadollah Javani, a political officer for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, according to the conservative Tasnim news agency.