Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA says a Saudi-led air strike last night hit the Iranian embassy in Yemen.
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The Saudi-led coalition has been conducting frequent air strikes against Houthi forces, who have been in control of Sanaa since 2014, as part of its campaign to re-assert Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s control of the country. Iran had already ruled that the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina would be suspended until Riyadh can ensure “higher safety standards”.
Iran’s annual exports to Saudi Arabia are worth about £90 million a year and are mainly steel, cement and agricultural products.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have long vied for influence in the Middle East. Their rivalry deepened following the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the chaos of the Arab Spring, which gave rise to proxy wars in Syria and Yemen.
He drew on the recent execution of the top Shiite cleric, saying that it is by no means justifiable since Nimr al-Nimr pursued his religious mission through peaceful means and dialogue without resorting to armed struggles.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged Saudi Arabia to stop provoking his country, calling instead for a united Arab front. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed al-Nimr, prominent opposition Shiite cleric, on Saturday.
CNN reports that Saudi coalition spokesman Col. Ahmed Asseri said an investigation into the incident was necessary, adding that accusations are “not credible because we have not seen any evidence”. In particular, the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and the consulate in the city of Mashhad were attacked, after which Riyadh broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran on January 3.
Residents and witnesses in Sanaa had told Reuters there was no damage to the Iranian embassy building.
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Pro-Iranian Pakistani Shiite Muslims rally against Saudi Arabia to condemn the execution of Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016 in Islamabad, Pakistan. On Wednesday, Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia returned to Tehran, according to state media.
