Yemen Airstrike Escalates Tensions Between Saudi Arabia and Iran

The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran while Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors.ent said.

Iran lashed out again at Saudi Arabia for the execution on Tuesday, with President Hassan Rouhani accusing Riyadh of seeking to “cover its crime” by severing ties.

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

Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed al-Nimr, prominent opposition Shiite cleric, on Saturday.

Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, is held by Shiite rebels known as Houthis.

Reuters quoted a Saudi-led coalition spokesman who said airstrikes Wednesday night in Sanaa had aimed at Houthi rebel missile launchers, adding that rebels were using abandoned embassies to shield their operations.

Riyadh has severed all ties with Tehran, withdrawn its diplomats and cut air links in response to weekend attacks on its missions in the Islamic republic.

Washington and other Western powers have called for calm amid fears the dispute could raise sectarian tensions across the Middle East and derail efforts to resolve conflicts from Syria to Yemen. They are targeted by an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

But witnesses in Sanaa said they could see no damage at the Iranian Embassy and that it was still standing. Erdogan said later however, that the executions were Saudi Arabia’s internal affair.

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

Authorities in Iran have announced plans to bar Iranian citizens from making a hajj to the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina, CNN reports.

Saudi Arabia doesn’t rank among Iran’s top trading partners but the ban on pilgrimages could hurt: it makes around $18 billion a year from religious tourism, and Iranians comprise one of the biggest groups of visitors.

Thousands of worshippers who took part in Friday prayers in Tehran joined the rally, carrying pictures of al-Nimr and chanting “Death to Al Saud”, referencing the kingdom’s royal family.