Djibouti’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Iran has been mocked by Iranians. Iran has also announced a ban on the import of Saudi products. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran while Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors.
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Erdogan has refused to condemn Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr this month.
After the execution at the weekend in Saudi Arabia of a leading Shia cleric, Iran has accused its Middle Eastern rival of a “trend of creating tension”.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Affairs Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said while the country has no issue conducting talks with Iran, Tehran’s actions make it hard to deal with. Pakistan, which is a predominantly Sunni Muslim state but has a large Shiite minority, has expressed hope that Saudi Arabia and Iran will be able to normalise their relations. But local residents and an Associated Press reporter on the ground say that while dozens of new airstrikes fell on Sanaa today (Jan. 7), there is no visible damage to the embassy’s building.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it had shot down a missile fired into the kingdom from nearby Yemen on Thursday morning.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming was now in Saudi Arabia and would travel on to Iran, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.
Last week, President Erdoğan paid a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met King Salman bin Abdul Aziz for talks focused on the Syrian crisis and energy cooperation between the two countries.
Salami compared Saudi policies with those of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi president overthrown by USA forces in 2003.
Saudi Arabia does not foresee war with its arch-foe Iran despite heightened tensions between the regional heavyweights, its deputy crown prince was quoted as saying.
Iranian diplomats have left Saudi Arabia and returned to Tehran after the kingdom severed ties with the Islamic Republic.
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While Riyadh views the Houthis as Iranian proxies working to expand Tehran’s influence, the rebels themselves insist that their sole aim is to liberate their nation from a corrupt government.
