Iran accuses Saudi of bombing Yemen embassy

To begin with, there was no love lost between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite ‪‎Iran, as their bilateral relations‬ have always seesawed between fragile normalcy and open animosity.

Nevertheless, one well-connected Saudi said that while he did not believe the Saudi rulers expected the embassy attack, they would have been willing to risk Iranian reprisals to carry out an execution they believed was fully justified. The United States, Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China negotiated a deal with Iran that would see it scale back its ability to produce a nuclear weapon for a minimum of 15 years and significantly decrease its ability to enrich uranium for 10 years. Sunnis and Shiites are scattered throughout the region, and suspicions and hostility have long dominated perceptions of the other.

Saudi officials say that by taking offense at the execution of Nimr, Tehran has demonstrated its claim of dominion over all Shias regardless of national borders, which Riyadh in turn calls a fundamental threat to the global system.

They have cited a September 24, 2015 crush that killed 465 Iranians during Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s police killing of about 400 Iranian pilgrims in 1987. Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh al-Nimr, convicted of terrorism charges, on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. Saudi Arabia bears very heavy responsibility for executing the cleric in spite of these moves. He promised that Saudi Arabia will not allow Iran “to undermine our security”.

Cognizant of the risk to his own power, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned both al-Nimr’s execution and the violence against the Saudi Embassy. This has boosted the Saudi position and potentially changed the conflict dynamic between the two countries.

First, the USA should seek to postpone the convening of the January 25international conference in Geneva that seeks a diplomatic solution to Syria’s civil war, in order to give Saudi Arabia and Iran a calming period as the participation of both countries is central to finding any lasting political solution in Syria.

“This deliberate action by Saudi Arabia is a violation of all worldwide conventions that protect diplomatic missions”, foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said, quoted by state television.

Two Saudi clubs are already scheduled to play in Iran and a playoff round could create two more matches there.

The success of that effort prompted Tehran to sponsor proxies in such countries as Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as to urge Shiite communities throughout the region to stand up against Sunni oppression.