‘Attacks not only reason for severing ties with Iran’

Iran also backs the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country’s civil war while Saudi Arabia insists he must go for any legitimate peace process to take place.

“It strongly condemned these acts and stated that Iran carries the responsibility for these terrorist acts”, said GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani following a meeting in Riyadh of the foreign ministers.

In its communique issued following the meeting, the Council of the Arab League held Iran responsible for the attacks, calling on Iran to abide by global conventions and treaties, mainly the 1961 and the 1963 Vienna Conventions, which hold host countries responsible for protecting diplomatic missions.

Relations between the Arab world and Iran were discussed at the meeting, including Tehran’s interventions in Lebanon and Iraq. That is a scenario that Saudi Arabia doesn’t like to see. Iran, which denounced the attacks on the embassies and vowed to punish the perpetrators, has accused Saudi Arabia of using the crisis to distract attention from the execution and as a cover for anti-Iranian diplomatic efforts. Neighboring countries and allies of Saudi Arabia, like Bahrain and Sudan, have also cut ties with Iran, while others, like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, reduced the number of their diplomats in Iran.

For his part Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Iran of undermining regional security and interference in Arab affairs.

Saudi Arabia was expected to garner the support of 18 members of the 22-nation bloc, in which Syria has been represented by the opposition Syrian National Coalition since 2011.

The serious backlash from Iranian’s civilian population against Nimr Al Nimr’s execution has led to the severing of political ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The ongoing confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, longtime powerful rivals, is further endangering regional stability, further complicating the already intricate situation in the Middle East.

Elaraby said at the press conference that a committee will be setup to follow up on developments with Iran and will submit its findings at the league’s meeting in March.

The UN Security Council is backing an 18-month plan to end Syria’s almost five-year war.

Zarif insisted Teheran has “no desire or interest in escalation of tension in our neighborhood” and hopes Saudi Arabia will “heed the cause of reason”. Iran’s cabinet has banned Saudi-made imports.