The rifts – opened by Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric last week – mark the most serious dispute between the region’s rival Sunni and Shiite heavyweights in decades.
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The statement by the 15-member council condemned “in the strongest terms” the attacks which saw protesters firebomb the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Iran’s second-biggest city Mashhad.
Khartoum had preceded the emergency meeting by declaring its solidarity with the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia.It also followed the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.
Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by some of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan.
“There are rising stockpiles and the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia make any deal on production unlikely”, said Michael Hewson, head of strategy at CMC Markets. He said Pakistan could play a proactive role and mobilise the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to resolve the escalating crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Since Saudi Arabia severed ties to Iran, a host of its allies have cut or reduced their ties as well.
In his remarks in Tehran with Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen, Rouhani defended those who have reacted angrily to the mass execution.
The sharp drop in crude prices, which has seen West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fall nearly 3% to just over $35 a barrel (£23.8), has been largely driven by the increased geopolitical tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Flames rise from Saudi Arabia’s embassy during the January 2, 2016, demonstration in Tehran (Mehdi Ghasemi/Reuters).
But it has been modifying its stance recently, he says, bringing it more into line with the Saudis and other Gulf states.
According to reports in Sputnik, foreign ministers from Iraq and Oman are due to travel to Tehran on Wednesday to try and calm tensions, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s information department told the news website.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who leads his divided country with a Shi’ite-dominated government, has expressed “intense shock” at the execution of Nimr, condemning it as human rights violation.
Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial in resolving a range of issues in the Middle East, where they are often on opposing sides.
Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation.
On Tuesday, however, Saudi Arabia said its feud with Iran would not interfere with Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin later this month.
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Riyadh has said the executions were an internal security matter, and among those put to death were many al-Qaeda-linked militants convicted of attacks in the kingdom.
