Now there is some scope for further escalation, both in the various Middle East theatres where Iran and Saudi Arabia back opposing forces, and diplomatically as Riyadh taps Arab and Muslim channels to try to isolate Tehran, according to analysts.
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Tensions between Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, and Shiite-dominated Iran have erupted this week into a full-blown diplomatic crisis, sparking widespread worries of regional instability.
The U.N. Security Council has condemned “in the strongest terms” the attacks against the Saudi embassy in Tehran and another Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran after the execution of a Shiite cleric infuriated protesters there.
The Egyptian diplomat also reaffirmed his country’s support for Saudi Arabia ahead of an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers at the Arab League that is due to discuss the Iran-Saudi spat. While backing Saudi Arabia, it may have chosen to reduce – rather than completely sever ties – because of a long trading history with Iran.
“Diplomatic channels must be given a chance immediately”.
An early battleground was Bahrain, where the Shiite majority staged mass protests in 2011 demanding political reforms from the Sunni monarchy. Riyadh has provided billions in aid to Egypt since then.
In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, Iran’s United Nations envoy Gholamali Khoshroo said more than 40 protesters have been arrested and that authorities are searching for other suspects.
New reports indicated that manufacturing is continuing to struggle, with factory activity falling in December for the second straight month in the USA and the 10th straight month in China.
LEBANESE HEZBOLLAH MOVEMENT – Hezbollah was founded in 1982 with the help of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after Israel invaded Lebanon.
The interventions followed years of Riyadh complaining about what it regarded as unchecked Iranian aggression in the region. Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest backers of those trying to overthrow him.
Hundreds of protesters are marching in Bahrain to denounce Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shiite cleric. The Shiite-led government has warmed Riyadh that such executions “would lead to nothing but more destruction”.
All-out conflict is something that even hawks in Saudi Arabia and Iran would likely try to avoid.
Iran’s Fars News Agency pithily asked if the Saudis wanted to follow the failed path of the USA to pressure Iran, and how long it would take them to “understand, like their ally America … that they will have to accept Iran’s regional role and presence”.
YEMEN – The Arab world’s poorest country is torn by a civil war pitting its internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are supported by Iran.
“From our side, it should have no effect because we will continue to work very hard to support the peace efforts in Syria and Yemen”, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters.
Meanwhile, al-Nimr’s family is holding three days of mourning at a mosque in al-Awamiya village in the kingdom’s al-Qatif region in predominantly Shiite eastern Saudi Arabia.
Iran and Saudi Arabia sit on either side of the Persian Gulf, the site of the world’s biggest concentration of oil tankers.
THE UNITED STATES – The White House has urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to not let their dispute derail efforts to end the Syrian civil war. President Barack Obama’s administration also hopes to see the Iranian nuclear deal through.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and on Monday with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Kirby said.
TURKEY – Turkey has urged both Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions, saying the Middle East region is “already like a powder keg” and can not withstand a new crisis.
The Saudis cut diplomatic relations with Iran over the attack, suspending all flights to and from Iran.
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Up in smoke, too, went President Hassan Rouhani’s effort to mend ties with Saudi Arabia as part of a broader engagement with Gulf states and the West. On Monday Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting diplomatic relations with Iran, and two of its Sunni Gulf allies and Sudan similarly cut or downgraded their ties.
