Saudi coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said coalition jets carried out heavy strikes in Sanaa on Wednesday night to target missile launchers used by the Houthi militia to fire at Saudi Arabia. “For sure we will not allow any such thing”.
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But in the days since the execution, Riyadh has done nothing to halt an escalation in confrontation, demonstrating a level of comfort with brinkmanship unheard of in the typically cautious kingdom before King Abdullah died a year ago and was replaced by his brother King Salman.
The diplomatic crisis followed the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by protesters angry at Saudi Arabia’s execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric.
“I do not think this would have happened under King Abdullah”. It wasn’t a funeral, as the sheikh’s brother has said Saudi authorities had already buried his body in an undisclosed cemetery.
“I personally wish they had only withdrawn the ambassador”. The Saudi foreign ministry sent a text message to reporters in Riyadh on Sunday (Jan 3) calling a press conference 30 minutes later to announce it was cutting ties with Iran.
Later in the day, the Iranian foreign minister insisted in a letter to the United Nations chief that Tehran has no desire to escalate tensions and said Saudis must make a “crucial choice” – either continue supporting extremists and promoting sectarian hatred or promote good neighborliness and regional stability.
“The mood with the government is to push back against Iranian encroachment”.
The manner in which the USA has conducted itself in connection with the Iran deal, its unwillingness to project itself more aggressively in Syria, its lack of support (as perceived by the Saudis) of the Saudi role in the conflict in Yemen, and its reaction to the current crisis, gave rise to the Saudis’ deep concerns about Washington’s ultimate goal in the region, especially now that the United States no longer depends on the Gulf’s oil.
“It’s a Saudi citizen convicted of crimes in Saudi Arabia”.
Meanwhile, tensions have increased between Turkey and overwhelmingly Shiite Iran, which along with Russian Federation is the key remaining ally of Assad.
Anger in both countries is running high after the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Talking about the Iran’s strategy to defend its interests in Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, Dorsey said that Islamic Republic is in this for the long haul and despite public perceptions, is not on the defensive.
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“This deliberate action by Saudi Arabia is a violation of all global conventions that protect diplomatic missions”, he was quoted as saying by AFP. In recent times, it was the 1979 Iranian revolution that intensified the rivalry between them.
