Arab foreign ministers, with the exception of Lebanon, condemned in a Sunday statement what they called Iran’s meddling in Arab affairs.
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Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran soared over Shia cleric Nimr Al Nimr’s recent execution. Following Iran’s condemnation of the execution, the Saudi embassy in Tehran was stormed and set alight by demonstrators. Later, Riyadh cut its diplomatic ties with Tehran over the attack on its embassy, while many of Gulf partners either followed suit or downgraded their relations with the Islamic Republic.
As news of the execution broke, angry protesters marched on the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
In the op-ed, Zarif said Saudi Arabia has been trying to block the finalization of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. State oil company Saudi Aramco said none of its employees had been injured but gave no further details. “Let us not forget that the perpetrators of many acts of terror…as well as almost all members of extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Nusra Front, have been either Saudi nationals or brainwashed by petrodollar-financed demagogues who have promoted anti-Islamic messages of hatred and sectarianism for decades”. The final agreement reached past year has marked a new era of cooperation between Washington and Tehran, though the Saudis fear it will draw Tehran closer to the U.S.at the expense of Riyadh, a longtime American ally.
Iran responded by accusing Saudi warplanes of bombing its embassy in Yemen and that Riyadh was using the row to hurt peace talks in Syria.
But after talks with Mr Zarif in Tehran yesterday and with Saudi officials in the past week, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura insisted the dispute would not damage his efforts. “We will not allow Saudi actions to have a negative impact”, he said. “Those countries who cooperate with Saudi Arabia will be humiliated, and human society has no respect for them”.
Geranmayeh said, the incident “exposed to a global audience” the existence of “factions from the hardline camp that support these orchestrated mob attacks” in the country.
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He added that Jafari assured his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir that the attacks on Saudi foreign missions would never happen in Iraq.
