After Friday prayers in Tehran, thousands of worshippers joined the rally, carrying pictures of al-Nimr and chanting “Death to Al Saud”, referencing the kingdom’s royal family.
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Meanwhile, tensions have increased between Turkey and overwhelmingly Shia Iran, which along with Russian Federation is the key remaining ally of Assad.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran.
The SPA report concluded, “The GCC Ministerial Council urged the worldwide community to take necessary measures to compel Iran to respect the principle of good neighborliness, to stop its activities destabilizing the region, to stop its support for terrorism, to not interfere in the internal affairs of the GCC countries and the region’s countries, and to not use or threaten to use force”.
It was the latest of several protests which have turned violent since Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr a week ago, stoking outrage among Shi’ites in Bahrain and elsewhere in the Middle East.
In a development that could further strain relations, Saudi media reported that four Iranians would go on trial in the kingdom, one for spying and the other three for “terrorism”.
In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon published by Iranian news agencies earlier on Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif complained about Saudi Arabia’s “provocations” towards Tehran.
The foreign minister reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to a peaceful resolution in Yemen based on the GCC initiatives and the outcomes of the Yemeni national dialogue and based on UN Security Council resolution 2216. Kuwait recalled its ambassador, the UAE downgraded its ties, and Oman and Qatar condemned the attacks. They are being targeted by an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The deputy head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards told Saudi Arabia Thursday it would “collapse” in coming years if it kept pursuing what he called its sectarian policies in the region.
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Last week Saudi Arabia announced the severance of diplomatic relations with its main regional rival, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).
