Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of attacking its embassy in Yemen

Yemen’s conflict pits the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis allied with a former president and backed by Iran.

Saudi foreign policy seems to focus on power projection into the Islamic world and primarily the Middle East using a combination of leveraging vast sums of petro-capital – as demonstrated with Sudan as it abandoned ties with Iran – and galvanizing Sunni/anti-Shiite sectarian sentiment as 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni.

That comes days after Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response to an arson attack on its own embassy in Tehran by protesters infuriated by Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

“The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) is particularly concerned about reports of intense airstrikes in residential areas and on civilian buildings in Sanaa, including the Chamber of Commerce, a wedding hall and a center for the blind”, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

She said in remarks to The Jordan Times that summoning Ambassador Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour to the ministry’s headquarters was meant to “present Jordan’s formal note of protest to the Iranian government on its interference in Arab states’ internal affairs”.

The official foreign ministry source cited on sabanew.net said responsibility for the protection of diplomatic missions in Sanaa lay with the Houthi militia, who are in control of Sanaa, and their allies, forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The night after a Saudi executioner put Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr to death in a high-security prison, Iranian protesters stormed Riyadh’s Tehran embassy and Mashhad consulate.

Al-Nimr was among 47 people executed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday over terrorism-related charges.

Other Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have also recalled their ambassadors, while Bahrain announced it was ending all diplomatic relations with Iran. An official Saudi statement quoted the Quran to the effect that those executed had waged war against Allah and his messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, and had done mischief in the land.

Both Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammed, and Medina, the spot of the prophet’s burial, are in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

Al-Jubair was expected to reach Islamabad on Sunday but the visit was delayed due to Saudi conflict with Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister says Saudi Arabia has to make “a crucial choice” – either continue supporting extremists and promoting sectarian hatred or promote good neighborliness and regional stability.

The rally in Tehran lasted some 40 minutes and took place in an outdoor space at the Mosalla Mosque, the main site for Friday prayers in Tehran.

At the same time the row has dealt another blow to the unity of the OPEC oil cartel, which includes both Iran and Saudi Arabia, at a time when a glut of crude on world markets has sent prices plunging. On Wednesday, Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia returned to Tehran, according to state media.

Iran’s annual exports to Saudi Arabia are worth about $130 million a year and are mainly steel, cement and agricultural products.