Gulf Arab states to hold extraordinary meeting on Iran – GCC statement

Nobakht was speaking after Riyadh cut ties to protest the attack on its embassy and a consulate by Iranian demonstrators angered over the execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. He favored elections as a means to reform Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states and denounced the Shiite-backed Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Protesters broke into the buildings and set fires, in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism charges.

The U.S. military braced Monday for possible fallout from the Iran-Saudi Arabia rift on the campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

“We are urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region”, he said Monday in a briefing with reporters.

“One of the key things on his mind is de-escalate the tensions, restore some sense of calm, encourage dialogue and engagement between these countries, but also to make the point there are other pressing issues in the region”, Mr Kirby said.

Nimr, a Shia cleric, was a critic of the Saudi monarchy and had led protests in the eastern part of the country, where many Saudi Shiites live.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has delayed a trip to Saudi Arabia, the Times newspaper reported on Tuesday, but cited senior officials as saying this was unconnected to regional tensions sparked by the execution of a Shi’ite Muslim cleric.

The move was met with an angry reaction from both Iranian government and protesters, who launched attacks on Saudi missions in Tehran and Mashhad on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Kuwait announced the recalling of its ambassador in a statement carried on the state-run Kuwait News Agency.

A statement posted on his official website said Rouhani discussed the current diplomatic dispute with visiting Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen.

“Egypt has not had diplomatic relations with Iran for more than three decades”. Riyadh, Bahrain and Sudan severed relations with Tehran while Kuwait recalled its ambassador.

“We have treated these actions with magnanimity and nobleness but unfortunately our neighbour, Saudi Arabia, did not respond to it properly”, he said.