The most recent flare-up between Saudi Arabia and Iran – long-time ideological and strategic competitors whose competition has greatly exacerbated Islam’s Sunni-Shiite rift – began last week: Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric, spurring protesters in Iran to ransack the Saudi Embassy and a consulate.
Advertisement
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. Beijing’s foreign minister has met with the Syrian National Coalition as countries worry increased tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia could negatively affect peace talks and the fight against the Islamic State group.
CNN reports that Saudi coalition spokesman Col. Ahmed Asseri said an investigation into the incident was necessary, adding that accusations are “not credible because we have not seen any evidence”.
According to witnesses quoted by the BBC, the missiles only struck in the vicinity of the embassy and there was no damage to the building itself.
“Djibouti cut its diplomatic ties with Iran out of solidarity with Saudi Arabia”, the minister said on Wednesday.
A Saudi-led coalition has waged an air war on Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March and the impoverished nation’s conflict is one of the main sources of dispute between the two regional adversaries.
The Sunni-ruled Bahrain, which sided with Saudi Arabia in the kingdom’s spat with Iran that erupted after al-Nimr’s execution, has cut diplomatic ties with Tehran. 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.
Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran this week after Iranian mobs attacked Saudi diplomatic compounds. Iran has also announced a ban on the import of Saudi products.
By so doing, Qatar has shown that its loyalty lies with Saudi Arabia, even though they were not always on friendly terms.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaberi Ansari slammed the Saudi Government for the Yemen provocation. It said the decision came during an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani.
Advertisement
Though thousands of Iraqi Shias took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Baghdad has taken a more cautious line.
