“Some in Riyadh not only continue to impede normalisation but are determined to drag the entire region into confrontation”, Zarif wrote, arguing that the Sunni-ruled kingdom was “driven by fear that its contrived Iranophobia was crumbling”.
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The feud first erupted last week after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in response to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia religious leader in Riyadh. The United Arab Emirates downgraded relations while some others recalled their envoys in protest.
All members of the Arab League voted in favor of the statement, with the exception of Lebanon, where Iranian-backed Hezbollah is a powerful political force.
The tensions between the Sunni and Shiah powers have reverberated across the Middle East and the Muslim world, complicating efforts to resolve conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
The video, dated January 9, 2016, and published on Monday, showed masked men throwing firebombs at the building compound in Qatif, a predominantly Shia town in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. It also condemned Iran’s fomenting of sectarian strife, its support, training and financing of terrorist organizations, and its attempts to incite actions to undermine security and stability in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir visited Pakistan a couple of days ago.
“We regret what happened, especially knowing that this cleric did not fight with arms in his hands against Saudi Arabia”. “If Iran wants to play a positive role in the region then it must deal with its neighbors based on the principle of good neighborliness”.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said a committee of countries will discuss interference by Iran and how to “face this violation and end it”.
“So this incident is not necessarily within a chain of constantly deteriorating climate” between Iran and Saudi, Tabatabai said, referring to Nimr’s execution and the subsequent sacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
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Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hossein Jaber Ansari said that Iran is seeking to soothe tensions in the region including its frictions with Saudi Arabia, as quoted by the official IRNA news agency on Sunday. “We hope that reason will prevail”, Zarif concluded.
