Pakistan Army Chief: ‘We’ll Wipe Iran Off the Map’

People take part in a demonstration against Saudi Arabia, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 4, 2016.

On January 2, the kingdom executed 47 men convicted of “terrorism”, including Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militants and Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose death sparked a diplomatic crisis with Iran.

The execution drew widespread global condemnation from the religious and political figures.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also spoke at a news conference after leaders met and said the group’s attitude toward Tehran was the product not just of the recent escalation but of decades of Iranian destabilization.

But China has been trying to get more diplomatically involved, especially in Syria, recently hosting both its foreign minister and opposition officials. It also pointed out that these attacks on the diplomatic missions “come after statements by the hostile Iranian regime that form a blatant incitement that encourages attacks on the Kingdom’s missions and represents an obvious violation of all worldwide agreements, charters and treaties”.

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi said being an important country of the Muslim world, Pakistan could play a pivotal role to end the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia has escalated, with the two Middle East rivals swapping accusations about endangering regional security and targeting their respective embassies.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been fighting the Shi’ite, Iran-allied Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015.

Al-Nimr had demanded more rights for Shiites, who are a minority in Saudi Arabia, where most citizens are Sunni Muslims.

“It’s not the first time relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been strained”.

“We will continue to act responsibly and constructively in solving the Syrian conflict”, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said while meeting UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Tehran.

Despite efforts to remain diplomatically neutral in the Saudi – Iran rift that has gripped the entire of Middle East, Pakistan succumbed to the interests of its long-standing ally and declared its stance in the conflict.

The United Arab Emirates lowered the level of their relations with Iran to charges d’affaires and cut the number of accredited Iranian diplomats. “We hope that reason will prevail”, Zarif concluded.