The announcement on Saturday of the execution of 47 alleged terrorists, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, prompted an worldwide outcry, and sparked protests in Shia-dominated Iran, where the Saudi embassy was stormed.
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Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced the cut in relations late Sunday and gave Iranian diplomatic personnel 48 hours to leave his country.
He added that Saudi Arabia had committed a “strategic error in adopting rash and hasty decisions that have spread instability and caused the development of terrorism in the region”.
A group of Shiite demonstrators went to the Saudi Consulate in İstanbul on Sunday to protest against Saudi Arabia’s execution of an influential cleric last Saturday.
Iran, a staunch supporter of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the opposition, have participated in three rounds of worldwide talks aimed at ending the conflict.
One driving force of support for Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria has been a rise in sectarian anger, often inflamed by the proxy wars emerging from the political struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
According to the diplomat, Moscow has friendly ties both with Tehran and Riyadh, and “is willing to play, if necessary, a role as a mediator in the settlement of existing and emerging discords between these countries”. Sudan once was closer to Iran, but in recent years has tilted toward Saudi Arabia, and has contributed forces to the Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite rebels in Yemen. “It appears that protection (of pilgrims) and security issues will prevent hajj from taking place”.
The concerted campaign by Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia highlights the aggressive stance King Salman and his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have adopted in confronting Iran, a longtime regional rival. The RIA Novosti news agency did not say whether Moscow had made the mediation proposal to either side.
“Sheik al-Nimr and a number of the other prisoners executed had been convicted following trials that raised serious concerns over the nature of the charges and the fairness of the process”, Ban’s spokesman said.
“Saudi Arabia sees not only its interests but also its existence in pursuing crises and confrontations and attempts to resolve its internal problems by exporting them to the outside”, said ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari. He spoke during a weekly press conference in Tehran.
Relatives of Nimr, reached by telephone, said authorities have informed them that the body had been buried “in a cemetery of Muslims” and would not be handed over to the family.
The official Saudi Press Agency reported early Monday that a man was killed in al-Awamiya village and a child was wounded.
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Al-Nimr was an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia’s Sunni monarchy but denied ever calling for violence. It also followed harsh criticism by Iran’s top leader of the Saudis’ execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
