The two countries are the major rivals in the Middle East and have been engaged in proxy wars in various neighbouring countries for a greater share of influence in the region.
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An Associated Press reporter also visited the embassy just after the announcement and saw no visible damage to the building.
The Turkish president did not make a comment about the incident, which has led to Riyadh and Tehran breaking off ties, until Wednesday when he remarked, “The executions in Saudi Arabia are an internal legal matter”.
Yemeni supporters of Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels hold banners bearing portraits of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration on Jan 7, 2016 outside the Saudi embassy in the capital Sanaa.
Also yesterday, Iran banned all products from Saudi Arabia and said a ban on Iranians travelling to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the umrah pilgrimage would remain in place “until further notice”.
The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have both also downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran following Saudi Arabia’s lead.
Somalia followed suit Thursday, saying it had given Iranian diplomats 72 hours to leave. Al-Nimr has already been buried but his supporters have reportedly planned a symbolic funeral for today. Al-Nimr’s brother, as well as another local resident of al-Awamiya in eastern Saudi Arabia, said they’ve heard gunfire on recent nights.
Nimr, one of 47 men executed on Saturday, was a driving force behind 2011 anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Oman broke its silence on the Mideast turmoil and called the Saudi diplomatic post attacks “unacceptable”, while leaving its ties to Iran untouched. The decision was made in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Hassan Rouhani, according to Iranian student news agency ISNA. The last Iranian Hajj ban lasted three years.
Meanwhile, a number of countries – including the U.S., the U.K., China and Turkey – urged both Saudi Arabia and Iran to show restraint amid the ongoing row.
Jordan is a beneficiary of large sums of Saudi aid.
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Al-Haj reported from Sanaa, Yemen.
