Iran warns Saudi to stop ‘adding fuel to fire’

Iran on Thursday accused Saudi Arabia of deliberately hitting its embassy in Yemen following air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Houthi fighters in Sanaa, the capital.

Iran denounced the attacks on the Saudi missions, but the repercussions quickly rippled across the region with Saudi allies Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti also cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran.

The move came as Iran reportedly accused Saudi Arabia of intentionally launching an airstrike on its embassy in Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Iran’s government on Thursday banned all imports of products made in Saudi Arabia, according to student news agency ISNA.

The Egyptian diplomat also reaffirmed his country’s support for Saudi Arabia ahead of an upcoming meeting of Foreign Ministers at the Arab League that is due to discuss the Iran-Saudi spat.

Iran has banned all imports from Saudi Arabia and told Iranians they can’t join pilgrimages to its holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Most of those killed were Sunnis linked to al-Qaeda attacks in the kingdom. 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 normalize their relations.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Canberra angered by the execution of cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, who was critical of the kingdom’s treatment of its Shiite minority.

A spokesmen for the White House insisted that the USA was not taking a side, and that Kerry was set to call Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

A spokesman for the Saudi coalition said the bombing was meant to target Houthi missile launchers and that they would investigate the claim.

Sanaa and other parts of Yemen are under the control of Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are backed by Iran.

The announcement Thursday follows Saudi Arabia’s decision to break off diplomatic and economic ties with Iran after its embassy in Tehran was attacked.

Somalia’s government cut diplomatic ties with Iran and recalled its envoys after accusing the Iranian Embassy of establishing sects that pose a threat to national security in the Horn of Africa nation. “We have always adopted a policy of interaction and dialogue”, Zarif said, reiterating that the violent scenes at the embassy were “not justified”. Riyadh in response severed its relations with Tehran.