The standoff has seen Saudi Arabia sever diplomatic ties with its longtime regional rival and could hinder efforts to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides, as well as affect the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.
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But it did not mention the event that set off the crisis Saudi Arabia’s execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a cleric and activist whose death sparked widespread protests among Shiites.
Jaafari also noted that Iraq has plans to use its close relations with Arab countries to relieve tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.
YEMEN – The Arab world’s poorest country is torn by a civil war pitting its internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are supported by Iran.
The spike in tensions, which comes after Iran previous year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, saw oil prices rise Monday in Asian trading.
Three other Shiite Muslims were also executed, along with 43 people identified as Sunni alQaeda jihadists.
Saudi Arabia cut ties to Iran after attacks on two of its diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic following al-Nimr’s execution. “Enough is enough. We need our peace in the region”, he said.
Protesters angered over Nimr’s execution attacked and burned the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad, which prompted Riyadh to sever diplomatic relations with the Islamic republic. Saudi Arabia is a key diplomatic and economic ally of Britain, though Middle East Minister Tobias Ellwood said Britain told the kingdom about its “disappointment at the mass executions”. Another glaring example of the US double standard is tolerating the fundamentalist Wahhabi form of Islam practiced widely in Saudi Arabia that finds all non-practitioners of the faith heathens and enemies.
Some were beheaded and others were executed by firing squad.
While there has been a long-running rivalry between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, those sectarian tensions have only provided a little more fuel for a fire that has been burning slowly for decades.
Their comments, echoed by other regional religious and political leaders, came as protests in Iran on Sunday spread to Bahrain, Pakistan, Indian Kashmir and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest backers of those trying to overthrow him.
On Baghdad’s Palestine Street, Iraqi cleric Ahmed al-Shahmani said: “The House of Saud has opened the gates of hell on its own regime”.
Amel Al-Hajjar, left, and Khadija Fali, participate in a rally in front of the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington on January 5, 2016.
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The statement explained that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserved the right to adjudicate according to its law as stated in the Holy Quran and the Prophets Sunnah, adding that “Shariah Law is its sole authority in the judiciary”, including laws affecting people and properties in its kingdom.
