Iraq has been torn apart by years of sectarian bloodshed and political feuds that have left deep gaps between the Shiite-led government and Iraq’s minority Sunnis, who once were favored under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
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Residents and witnesses in Sanaa had told Reuters there was no damage to the Iranian embassy building.
Iran’s government also banned on Thursday all imports of products made in Saudi Arabia, Iranian student news agency ISNA reported.
The tiny Horn of Africa nation, which is home to the United States’ only military base on the African continent, joins Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan in entirely severing relations with Shi’ite Muslim Iran.
Earlier, IRNA had said that shrapnel hit a wall of the embassy and injured several staff there.
The executions have triggered a diplomatic row between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with some analysts concerned by the prospect of proxy wars in the region. “For sure we will not allow any such thing”. The move came just one day after Saudi authorities executed a prominent Shia cleric.
Riyadh has severed all ties with Tehran, withdrawn its diplomats and cut air links in response to weekend attacks on its missions in the Islamic republic.
“The escalation is coming from Iran, not from Saudi Arabia or the GCC…”
Despite these provocations, Zarif said Iran has refused to retaliate or even downgrade diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
The mass executions appeared to be a show of strength by a country surrounded by turmoil and deeply concerned about potential unrest in its oil-rich Eastern Province, according to analysts.
Saudi Arabia and Sunni Muslim allies has been fighting the Shiite Houthi movement, which controls the capital.
The local resident, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity out of fear for her safety, shared a mobile phone video showing Saudi armoured personnel carriers moving through local streets.
More young Shiites detained over the 2011 protests and subsequent attacks have been sentenced to execution.
Asked about the diplomatic post attacks, Mohammed al-Nimr said it was “not acceptable”.
Many ultraconservatives of the Saudi Wahhabi school of Islam view Shiites as heretics. “We need to stand united … and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire”, he said.
Qais al-Khazali, the head of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech in the southern city of Basra in which he called on Baghdad to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, expel the newly arrived ambassador and boycott Saudi goods.
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President Hassan Rouhani wrote to Iran’s judiciary chief Wednesday urging a quick and conclusive case against 50 suspects accused of involvement in the storming of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran. “It’s a Saudi citizen convicted of crimes in Saudi Arabia”.
