News of the execution of Nimr al-Nimr-a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia’s ruling royal family whose death sentence was carried out despite warnings from Tehran that the action would have repercussions-prompted demonstrators to attack, then set fire to, the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.
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Sunni Arab nations accuse Tehran of repeatedly meddling in their affairs, with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir saying “Iran’s history is full of negative interference and hostility in Arab issues”. “The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran, and its Consulate General in Mashhad in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which resulted in intrusions into the diplomatic and consular premises, causing serious damage”, said the council statement.
Bahrain and Sudan also broke diplomatic relations with Iran and a number of other Arab countries have recalled their envoys in sympathy with Riyadh.
Several Saudi allies have followed the kingdom’s lead and scaled back or cut diplomatic ties to Iran.
Saudi Arabia severed direct airline links with Iran as the biggest meltdown in relations between the rival Muslim powers since the 1980s begins to impact travel.
They “had no justification in accordance with religious teachings or the point of view of global rules” and were “beneath the Iranian people”, he said.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have long vied for influence in the Middle East. Their rivalry deepened following the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the chaos of the Arab Spring, which gave rise to proxy wars in Syria and Yemen.
China relies heavily on the Middle East for oil, importing around 16 per cent of its supplies from Saudi Arabia and about 9 per cent from Iran in 2014.
Saudi Arabia is leading a military intervention in Yemen against the Houthis – Shia rebels who it says are backed by Iran.
Saudi Arabia cut all diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday after Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran to denounce the killing of Sheikh Nimr al Nimr.
5, 2016, President Hassan Rouhani said Saudi Arabias move to sever ties with his country couldnt cover its crime of executing Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Media reports said his counterpart from Oman, which has often played a mediating role in the region, was also expected in the Iranian capital on Wednesday.
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Before the breakdown, Iran and Bahrain maintained limited diplomatic relations.
