Bahrain, Sudan Sever Diplomatic Relations With Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday Saudi Arabia cannot hide “its crime” of executing a Shi’ite Muslim cleric by cutting ties with Tehran, warning that discord could affect the fight against terrorism.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Malaysia strongly condemns the acts of the mob that attacked the Embassy and Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashad in Iran, respectively.

Bahrain also announced it would cut diplomatic ties with Iran, calling on all Bahrainis in Iran to leave the country within 48 hours as it planned to close its diplomatic missions there.

Kuwait says it has recalled its ambassador to Iran over attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic.

“We and the Iranians are like fire and dynamite in one room”, Jamal Khashoggi, a former media adviser to Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, said by phone.

Saudi Arabia’s unexpected decision to carry out the executions – following convictions over terror offences – prompted an expression of “deep dismay” from the United Nations secretary general, while the U.S. accused Saudi of exacerbating tensions “at a time when they urgently need to be reduced”. Conversely, Saudi Arabia (and the United States) have been supporting Sunni militia opposing the Assad regime.

Now he has taken a step that was as risky as it was unjustified: the execution of a leading Shiite cleric who had spoken out for the kingdom’s repressed minority sect. However, officials said the administration is loath to insert itself but wants to ensure the viability of the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, nascent attempts to end Syria’s civil war, peace efforts in Yemen and the Iran nuclear deal.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are major rivals for power in the Middle East and back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

Ban spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday and urged him to protect diplomatic facilities after the attack on the Saudi embassy.

KUWAIT – The oil-rich country is recalling of its ambassador from Tehran, but it isn’t immediately clear how Kuwaiti-Iranian diplomatic ties will be affected.

Forty people were arrested and investigators were pursuing other suspects, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said, according to the Associated Press. Bahrain and Sudan cut all ties with Iran, following Riyadh’s example the previous day.

Sameh Shoukry said during a visit to Riyadh on Tuesday that Iranian behavior following sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s execution is tantamount to “intervening in the kingdom’s internal affairs”. “Carrying out mass executions I think is a prime example of a government that is not doing enough to address the legitimate concerns that have been expressed by the global community about the human rights situation inside their own country”, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said yesterday.

Jubeir blamed Iran’s “aggressive policies” for the diplomatic action, alluding to years of tension that spilled over on Saturday night when Iranian protesters stormed the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran.

The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, arrived in Riyadh Monday to meet with officials.