We don’t foresee war with Iran: Saudi DM

The execution sparked outrage in Shiite-majority areas of the Middle East, and protesters in Iran attacked two Saudi diplomatic missions, prompting Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties. However, an Associated Press reporter who reached the site just after the announcement saw no visible damage to the building.

Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted “divine vengeance” for the execution of al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Saudi family.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, told a joint news conference: “Iraq is at the heart of the region and we have sought to use our broad relations with Arab countries and other countries so that Iraq can play its role and alleviate tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia”.

Mr al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government and demanded greater rights for the kingdom’s Shiite population, but always denied advocating violence.

The tiny Horn of Africa nation, which is home to the United States’ only military base on the African continent, joins Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan in entirely severing relations with Iran.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been fighting the Shi’ite, Iran-allied Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015.

Djibouti on Wednesday also said it had cut ties with Iran.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim powers, share the same vision over the conflict in Syria where they believe only the ousting of President Bashar Assad can bring an end to nearly five years of civil war. The Shiites there held a memorial service Thursday night – not a funeral, as the sheikh’s brother has said Saudi authorities had already buried his body in an undisclosed cemetery.

There are concerns new unrest could erupt.

“Saudi Arabia is responsible for the security of our diplomats and of our embassy in Sanaa”, he said.

Meanwhile Thursday, Iran banned the import of goods from Saudi Arabia over the tensions, according to a report by Iranian state television.

The decision was taken during a meeting of Iran’s cabinet ministers headed by President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday, the report stated.

The Saudi federation’s decision on January 7 cited the recent storming of the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran and requested that the Asian Football Confederation order that scheduled matches between the Saudis and Iran be moved from Iran to “neutral countries”.

The sultanate is known for its historically strong ties with Iran but is also a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.