On January 3, furious demonstrators in the Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad stormed Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic buildings in protest at the execution of Sheikh Nimr.
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Amel Al-Hajjar, left, and Khadija Falih, both from Iraq, …
In a press release, Hassan Rouhani accused the Saudis of supporting terrorism and obstructing “the victory of Iraqi and Syrian governments”, and heightening tensions in the region.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are longtime regional rivals which back opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen.
The sharp drop in crude prices, which has seen West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fall nearly 3% to just over $35 a barrel (£23.8), has been largely driven by the increased geopolitical tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The execution has provoked widespread global backlash, prompting the kingdom to sever relations with Iran over its strong criticism and pressuring some of its allies to follow suit.
Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have spiralled since the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. He added authorities were “suspicious” about who was behind the attacks.
That points to the government’s bigger fear: That the regional dispute over al-Nimr’s execution will turn into new violence between Iraq’s Shiites and Sunnis.
Hundreds of people joined a Shia-led protest in Islamabad on Friday against Pakistan’s decision to join Saudi Arabia’s 34-country coalition against extremism, as Riyadh’s foreign minister ended a two-day visit to the country. It also is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Saudi media said that the four Iranians set to stand trial in Saudi Arabia were arrested in 2013 and 2014, but they were not identified nor were the charges against them spelled out. It has faced low-level unrest since 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests by Shiites seeking more political rights.
Oman broke its silence on the Mideast turmoil and called the Saudi diplomatic post attacks “unacceptable”, while leaving its ties to Iran untouched. Al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government and demanded greater rights for the kingdom’s Shiite population, but always denied advocating violence.
The row between the two nations erupted on Saturday when news broke that the Sunni-majority Saudi kingdom had executed the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
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Cleric Nimr al-Nimr was executed along with 46 other prisoners who Riyadh said were “terrorists”. Kuwait has also recalled its ambassador to Iran.
