Iran accuses Saudi warplanes of attacking Iranian embassy in Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman says those pushing the idea of a war between his country and Iran are “not in their right minds”.

Iran accused Saudi Arabia of “sectarian hate-mongering” and said the kingdom must choose between promoting extremism and fostering good relations in the Middle East. Last Sunday, January 3, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults. The Yemeni capital is held by Shia rebels known as Houthis. Ansari said the embassy was damaged and several guards were injured.

The Associated Press reported that an AP correspondent in Sanaa could see no damage to the embassy.

Yemen’s foreign ministry also denied the embassy building had been targeted, according to the Saudi-allied, government-run state news agency, sabanew.net.

“Saudi Arabia has taken the measure in Yemen so that the Islamic Republic of Iran would respond to the attack through Yemen”, he added.

Qatar on Thursday recalled its ambassador from Tehran, becoming the latest Gulf state to reduce its diplomatic presence there in response to the arson attack by protesters on the Saudi embassy on Saturday.

The reported incident in Yemen’s capital comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.

Also Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani wrote a letter to Iran’s head of Judiciary-calling for an urgent investigation into the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic missions, saying the perpetrators must be “brought to justice”.

Accordingly, all entry points across the country including free trade zones and special economic zones will be ordered to stop any product or any item that has been originated in or produced by Saudi Arabia. Annual imports from Saudi Arabia – mainly packing materials and textiles – total about $60 million a year.

Nimr was an outspoken government critic and an advocate for Saudi Shia, who form a majority in the kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province and complain of discrimination and mistreatment.