Iran seeks to limit diplomatic damage from Saudi embassy attacks

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran on January 3 following demonstrations held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad by angry protesters censuring the Al Saud family for the killing of Nimr.

During a visit to Pakistan on Sunday, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif asserted that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity would be answered by a strong response.

“Saudi Arabia has neither asked for ground troops nor are we sending them [to any country]”, Pakistani foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz told a parliamentary foreign affairs committee.

Riyadh also urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the Iranian attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, reported Arab News. “In Iran I got the same assurance”, he said.

The United Nations envoy for Syria said on Sunday that Iran had assured him that its diplomatic row with rival Saudi Arabia would not affect Syria peace talks set for later this month.

“The illogical and unwise measures by the Saudi rulers have led to nothing but weakening the Muslim world, providing service to the world arrogance and strengthening the terrorist stream”, said Sadeq Amoli Larijani in a speech addressing the judiciary officials in Tehran according to the report.

Conflicts or political crises from Lebanon and Syria to Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain involve proxies of both Saudi Arabia and Iran. He also impugned Iranian intervention in Arab issues under the pretext of Shi’a protection.

Mr Zarif said Iran had immediately condemned the violence at the Saudi embassy and had since taken action against those who failed to protect the compound, while an investigation was under way.

Zarif said the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr had shown that Saudi Arabia’s “barbarism is clear” and said Riyadh was promoting the kind of extremist views taken up by groups like the Islamic State organisation. “But the worry this time is that sectarian alliances may add fuel to the fire of war and conflicts which already exist in some Arab countries”.

“We have previously stated our support for the Syrian opposition and for efforts to find a peaceful solution in Syria”, Jubeir said.