A protest by hundreds of Bahrain’s majority Shiites marching to denounce Saudi Arabia for its execution last week of a leading Shiite cleric has descended into violence.
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Shiite-dominated Iran also announced a ban on imports from its Sunni-ruled rival.
However, those living in the area remain on edge as recent nights have been broken up by gunfire.
The Iranian ambassador was also told that the safety of foreign diplomatic missions was a responsibility of host countries; therefore, the attacks against Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran and Consulate in Mashhad could not be explained and accepted.
Saudi Arabia and its allies say al-Nimr was found guilty of terrorism charges, and that condemnation of the execution amounts to meddling in Riyadh’s internal affairs. Prior to his death, he had been pronounced guilty of “seeking foreign meddling in country, disobeying its leaders and taking up arms against the security forces”.
“All of these conflicts are as much domestic fights as they are Saudi-Iranian proxy wars. For sure we will not allow any such thing”.
The magazine said it conducted the interview on Monday.
Saudi allies have followed suit, with Bahrain cutting relations with Iran and the United Arab Emirates downgrading ties. Egypt cut ties with Iran in 1989. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh’s brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpse in an undisclosed cemetery. The neighbourhood in the Yemeni capital has previously been targeted by the coalition because it is home to several strategic sites.
“He will discuss the situation in the region with officials of Saudi Arabia and Iran”, she said.
The Saudi-led coalition combating Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen denied the accusation, saying no operations were carried out near the mission.
The Prime Minister has been accused of squandering almost £400 million in taxpayers’ aid to Yemen through its support for the Saudi-led military offensive in the country’s civil war.
Around 1,000 protestors marched through Tehran on Friday chanting “death to Al-Saud” – Riyadh’s ruling family, according to an AFP photographer.
Iranian state television made the announcement Thursday. It said the decision came during an emergency meeting of the cabinet of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
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Saudi Arabia this week cut the February price of its export oil to Europe to win market share at Iran’s expense, Zarif pointed out.
