Iranian diplomats leave Saudi Arabia

“One does not respond to criticism by cutting off heads”, Rouhani said, referring to the usual Saudi practice of carrying out executions with beheading by the sword. The poster behind the men shows Mohammed Ali Abdulkarim Suwaymil a young Saudi Shiite who was executed at the same time as al-Nimr.

As Iranian diplomats from Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah flew home Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on Saudi Arabia to stop confronting Iran.

The fact that Iraq sent the foreign minister to Iran may be an indication that the predominantly Shiite country is anxious that the rift between its neighbors could reverse progress made in the fight against Islamic State (IS) and send the Middle East into disarray, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said if tensions were allowed to escalate, the entire region could be affected.

In addition to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Bahrain, where a Sunni monarch rules over a predominantly Shiite nation, also severed diplomatic ties with Iran.

Zarif, meanwhile, blamed Saudi Arabia for exacerbating the situation.

Yunnan University professor Xiao Xian said that unless a military conflict erupted, the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia would not affect China’s imports of oil.

“There are rising stockpiles and the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia make any deal on production unlikely”, said Michael Hewson, head of strategy at CMC Markets.

Saudi Arabia cut all ties with Iran on Sunday following the kingdom’s execution of prominent Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The Saudi envoy to the U.N Abdallah Al-Mouallimi when asked by reporters on Monday what it would take for ties to be restored, he said, “Very simple – Iran to cease and desist from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including our own”.

The sharp drop in crude prices, which has seen West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fall nearly 3% to just over $35 a barrel (£23.8), has been largely driven by the increased geopolitical tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Bahrain says it has broken up a militant Shiite group backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanese Hezbollah. It’s been the scene of long-running, low-intensity unrest since 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests.

“Such action constitutes a flagrant breach of global conventions and violation of Iran’s worldwide commitment over security and safety of diplomatic missions on its lands”, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said.

Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government but always denied advocating violence.

“This move was unacceptable and wrong and we should learn a lesson so that, while preserving the right to protest, such an act should not happen”, he added. “About my brother, we were hoping to end it in a political way rather than in blood”.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of Sunni Arab states said it would meet in Riyadh Saturday for talks on the embassy attacks, a day before the Arab League is due to hold an emergency meeting.