Kuwait recalls ambassador to Tehran amid Saudi-Iran tension

Iranian protesters hold portraits of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr as they confront riot police during a demonstration against his execution by Saudi authorities outside the Saudi embassy.

(Mohammadreza Nadimi/ISNA via AP)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – The latest developments after Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic ties with Iran following the execution of a prominent opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on its diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic.

When asked what it would take for ties to be restored, Saudi U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi told reporters: “Very simple – Iran to cease and desist from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including our own”.

On Tuesday, for instance, Kuwait, whose ruling family and most of its citizens are Sunni, recalled its ambassador to Tehran, citing “torching and sabotage activities” of Iranian demonstrators.

“Saudi Arabia, gripped by crises inside and outside its territories, follows the policy of increasing regional tensions”, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaberi-Ansari, said Monday, in remarks that were broadcast live by the state-run news channel Irinn.

“Regarding the executions in Saudi Arabia, we continue to urge the government of Saudi Arabia to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases, and we have expressed our particular concern over the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr”, he said.

Iran, a world leader in executions, political imprisonments and sponsorship of terrorism, has little standing to protest Saudi violations of human rights. “It certainly is going to be even more hard to get everybody back around the table if you have the Saudis and the Iranians trading public barbs and public expressions of antagonism between the two countries”, Earnest said.

All Saudi diplomatic personnel in Iran have been called home.

“Already both Bahrain and Sudan have cut off ties”.

“The Secretary-General urged both foreign ministers to avoid any actions that could further exacerbate the situation between the two countries and in the region as a whole”, Dujarric said.

The cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, was among 47 people who were executed.

The concerted campaign by Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia highlights the aggressive stance King Salman and his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have adopted in confronting Iran, a longtime regional rival.

Nimr, who was in his late 50s, was a vocal critic of the Saudi government and was considered a central figure in 2011 protests that erupted as part of the Arab Spring. Earlier, Foreign Office yesterday regretted the attack at the Saudi embassy in Iran.

‘Specifically on Saudi Arabia let me be clear – we condemn and do not support the death penalty in any circumstances and that includes Saudi Arabia, ‘ David Cameron said.

The PM’s official spokeswoman declined to say whether a trip had been postponed, pointing out that no visit to the country had been announced.