Iran accuses Saudi Arabia warplanes of attacking embassy in Sanaa, Yemen

A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Houthi tribesmen in Yemen since a year ago and Riyadh has accused Iran of supporting them with arms and finances.

The attacks on the Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and Mashhad came after Saudi Arabia’s execution of 47 convicted terrorists including a prominent Iranian-backed cleric.

The row has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Regarding the recent attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions, he said, the government “unequivocally condemned” the violence and took immediate steps to protect the buildings and diplomats, and expressed its determination to bring the perpetrators to justice and launched an investigation.

Iranian protesters chant slogans as they hold pictures of Shi’ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration against the execution of Nimr in Saudi Arabia, outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran January, 3, 2016.

Since Saudi Arabia severed ties to Iran, a host of its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, have cut or reduced their ties as well.

An Associated Press reporter also visited the embassy just after the announcement and saw no visible damage to the building.

On Saturday, angry mobs in Shiite-dominated Iran stormed and set ablaze the Saudi embassy and consulate to protest at al-Nimr’s execution.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to calm tensions, saying the hostility between the two key Muslim powers would only further escalate problems in an explosive region.

Ansari indicated that guards at the embassy had been injured in the incident, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Media reports in Tehran said Oman’s foreign minister was expected in the Iranian capital on Wednesday. There was no immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia to the Iraqi mediation offer. Iran is a chief backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Saudi Arabia supports anti-Assad rebel factions.

Asked about the possibility of war, Prince Mohammed said: “It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind”.

But truculent rhetoric has persisted, punctuating the deep animosity that both sides hold for each other.

Even within Iraq, there could be backlash to attempts to work with Saudi Arabia.

The Shiite-led government in Baghdad relies on Iranian help to battle the extremist Islamic State group, but is also trying to fix ties to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which last week sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time in 25 years.