Iran: Saudis Using Row To Hurt Syrian Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon obtained Friday by The Associated Press that Iran has “no desire or interest in escalation of tension in our neighborhood” and hopes Saudi Arabia will “heed the cause of reason”.

Nimr was a highly respected cleric in Saudi Arabia’s Shiite community who was behind demonstrations calling for better treatment of the minority, but he was executed for terrorism. Kuwait also recalled its envoy from Tehran and downgraded all ties with Iran.

Under the Arab League rules, 11 states are needed to support a motion, but Saudi Arabia is expected to garner the support of 18 countries.

In the meantime, the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen accused the Houthi militias of using civilian establishments, including deserted embassies, adding that the coalition had asked all countries to provide the locations of their diplomatic missions. It merits mentioning that simultaneously there have been some pro-Saudi and anti-Iran protests as well.

Saudi Arabia announced the coalition last month, naming Pakistan as a member, but Islamabad had initially reacted cautiously saying it needed further details before deciding the extent of its participation. The execution of Al-Nimr, a top Shia cleric by Saudi Arabia on 3rd January 2016 along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants escalating a war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia also accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and warned that the kingdom was considering new steps against Tehran.

The GCC foreign ministers, in a statement released after their meeting, lent their full support to any measure against Iran to halt Tehran’s “terrorist acts” and to ensure that it refrains from “meddling in the affairs of Arab nations”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry had earlier demanded restitution for a missile attack that state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said damaged embassy walls. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have cultivated a close alliance for decades, and Sharif spent time in political exile in Saudi Arabia in the 2000s, after he was ousted in a military coup.

The execution of the Nimr al-Nimr, has raised fears that his nephew Ali al-Nimr, who was 17 when he was arrested, could be beheaded.

Qais al-Khazali, the head of the powerful Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech in the southern city of Basra in which he called on Baghdad to cut diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, expel the newly arrived ambassador and boycott Saudi goods.