Opening a meeting of Arab League diplomatic chiefs in Cairo, the group’s head, Nabil al-Arabi, accused Tehran of “provocative acts”.
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Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir insisted his country would continue to support efforts to achieve peace in Syria, despite rising tensions with Iran.
The executions have sent large number of Iranians onto the street, while some of them stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in capital Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad. Tehran then cut all commercial ties with Riyadh, and banned pilgrims from traveling to Mecca.
Also Monday, in a meeting with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani, called on the Saudi leadership to stop creating instability in the region by encouraging hostility toward Iran by other Islamic countries.
“The people of Pakistan would always stand with the people of Saudi Arabia, against any threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom”, Sharif said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (right) welcomes United Nations envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura …
“Iran has to decide what kind of neighbor it wants to be: a good neighbor or a chaotic neighbor and so far it behaves like the latter”, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said following an emergency Arab League meeting in Cairo.
Saudi Arabia may be courting Pakistan’s support following the severing of diplomatic ties with Iran, according to TIME.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said in an online statement Sunday (Jan 10) that the kingdom executed the militants despite knowing that they had “pledged to avenge the pure blood of their brothers”.
Both countries had joined worldwide talks launched in Vienna past year that backed an 18-month plan to end the conflict and foresees further talks on January 25.
The Saudi defence minister will also meet meet Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif.
Chinese vice foreign minister Zhang Ming met last week with senior Saudi and Iranian officials during two-day visits to each country, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said in separate statements on its official website.
“We support a political solution to the Syrian problem without interference from the outside”, the official said.
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Aziz will give an in-camera briefing in which he is expected to explain Pakistan’s stance on Saudi-Iran tensions and its role in resolving the crisis.
