Any coordination within OPEC is highly unlikely amid the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Sam Barden, the director of Wimpole International, an energy market development company believes.
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The tiny Horn of Africa nation is a strategic port on the Gulf of Aden with a key position on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Although the country was replaced in the market by Saudi Arabia and other countries such as Russia, Tehran is counting on rekindling those ties when it resumes exports.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that a number of guards at the embassy were injured, and part of the building’s wall was damaged in the strike by Saudi warplanes Wednesday night.
A row has been raging for days between Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and the conservative Sunni kingdom since Saudi Arabia executed cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an opponent of the ruling dynasty who demanded greater rights for the Shi’ite minority.
Saudi Arabia and its allies including Sudan, Djibouti, Bahrain and the UAE joined diplomatic action against Iran following the break into the embassy in Tehran.
Riyadh cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran on Sunday after the attacks. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh’s brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpse in an undisclosed cemetery. Further escalation of conflict will seriously affect Mideast peace, refugee and anti-terrorism policies, the crude oil market and all other issues of global concern. It said the decision came during an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani. “For sure we will not allow any such thing”.
“Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement”, Zarif said.
The Iranian president stressed that his country is seeking good relations with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
“Some people want to create the spark that will reignite war among Iraqis and we must stop them because such acts only serve the enemies of Iraq”, said Mohammed Abdelfattah, a Sunni cleric from the Iraqi town of Hilla where several attacks have taken place.
Even before this latest falling-out, Saudi Arabia and Iran were sworn rivals vying for regional supremacy.
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Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming is now in Saudi Arabia and will travel on to Iran, a ministry spokesman told reporters.
