On the same day, following increasingly bellicose statements by Iranian Shiite leaders, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced that Riyadh had made a decision to cut its diplomatic relations with Iran.
Advertisement
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran after the embassy protest, recalling its diplomats from the Islamic republic and giving Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.
Bahrain and Sudan have both since cut diplomatic relations with Iran, while the United Arab Emirates has downgraded its ties.
Announcing the move, Bahrain’s state news agency says it’s responding to “sinful cowardly attacks” on Saudi Arabia’s embassy and a consulate in Iran, saying that the situation “confirms a determination to spread devastation and destruction”.
Mogherini said that she had been informed of the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by protesters and of steps taken by the Iranian authorities to defuse tensions and protect the Saudi diplomats.
The assaults prompted Riyadh to break off diplomatic ties with Iran and order its diplomats to leave the kingdom. Sudan denounced the “brutal” attack on the Saudi embassy as being “in clear violation of worldwide law”.
“It is clear that this barren and irresponsible policy will have consequences for those endorsing it, and the Saudi government will have to pay for pursuing this policy”, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi-Ansari, reported the New York Times. Some Western countries also voiced their concern about the execution.
Iraqi Shi’ites protesting last week’s execution of Saudi Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr separately marched in Baghdad and in southern cities, calling for a boycott of Saudi products and severing ties with the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura is visiting Saudi Arabia and Tehran this week on a preplanned visit, while U.N. Yemen mediator, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, is to return to the region on Thursday, Dujarric said.
Earnest said that Washington is concerned about the mounting tensions between Tehran and Riyadh, urging the two countries to help resolve the issue.
Advertisement
Sheikh Nimr was among 47 people executed on Saturday at the hands of the Saudi government after being convicted of “terrorism” offenses.
