It also rejected Iranian statements it said represented “interference in internal Saudi affairs”.
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The Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s foreign ministry denied Iran’s accusation that Saudi warplanes had hit its embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
Oil prices slipped to a new near 12-year low on Wednesday as a barrel of Brent crude fell below $35 amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Staffan de Mistura said after his meeting with Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh that there was a “clear determination” on the Saudi side the tensions with Iran would not have any negative impact on efforts to end the five-year-old conflict in Syria, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in NY.
Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial in resolving a range of issues in the Middle East, where they are often on opposing sides. Kuwait has also recalled its ambassador to Iran. The attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr and others on 2 January. Iran, the region’s largest Shiite power, supports Assad and the Shiite Houthi rebels who have ousted the elected government in Yemen.
“The oil price growth is not expected in the short term”, he said.
There are important reasons for the United States not to be drawn into a dispute between Saudi Arabia, the principal Sunni Muslim state, and Iran, the leading Shiite Muslim nation.
Zarif reiterated that the embassy’s ransacking had no official blessing. What does Iran have to do with this?” he asked, adding, “At a certain point, everybody reaches their limit.
Jaafari, who was to hold talks later with Rouhani, said Iraq was seeking a potential diplomatic role to help resolve the crisis and echoed the concerns about sectarianism.
The tiny, Sunni-ruled island of Bahrain is predominantly Shiite.
Shiite-majority Iraq has close ties with Tehran.
Bahrain says it has broken up a militant Shiite group backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Conditions in the Eastern Province remain relatively opaque because access and reporting are controlled by the Saudi government, which also strongly discourages worldwide discussion about political risks affecting the kingdom.
He was arrested in 2012 after calling for two Saudi governorates to be separated from the kingdom.
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In his first reaction to the controversy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused Wednesday to condemn the executions, saying it was an “internal legal matter” of the kingdom.
