Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of hitting embassy in Yemen airstrike

That diplomatic rift has dampened hopes for a timely resolution to Yemen’s civil war, where Iran backs Houthi rebels who are seeking to reinstall former president Saleh.

But the coalition said an investigation showed that the “allegations are false”.

It also urged diplomatic missions in Sanaa not to offer militias an opportunity “to use diplomatic missions’ buildings in any military action”.

Iran accused Saudi Arabia on Thursday of deliberately launching an airstrike on its embassy in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.

Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA says a Saudi-led air strike last night hit the Iranian embassy in Yemen.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The latest developments after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Tehran amid a dispute over Riyadh’s execution of an opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran.

The Saudi-led forces will investigate the accusations, coalition spokesman Brig. “Whether you approve or not of the decision is a separate issue”, Erdogan said in a televised speech, his first reaction to the controversy that has raised tensions between Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran.

His death sparked Shiite demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom’s consulate in second city Mashhad.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Canberra angered by the execution of cleric Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, who was critical of the kingdom’s treatment of its Shiite minority. The neighbourhood in the Yemeni capital has previously been targeted by the coalition because it is home to several strategic sites.

The nuclear deal, once implemented, would gradually eliminate some sanctions against the Islamic republic, potentially posing a challenge to Saudi Arabia, which has been pumping out more oil to reduce prices, partly in anticipation of Iran rejoining the market.

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States has received conflicting reports about the Iranian Embassy in Sanaa and was still collecting information to determine what, if anything, happened to the building.