Pakistan’s ‘unconditional support’ to Saudi Arabia

Erdogan said later however, that the executions were Saudi Arabia’s internal affair.

Zarif said Iran had “no desire” to escalate tensions further, but offered no compromise as he placed the blame for the crisis, and the wider turmoil across the region, squarely on Saudi shoulders.

The reiteration of support for the Saudi government was made during a shortened visit by Saudi Foreign Minister Dr Adel Al-Jubeir to Islamabad for discussions on his country’s diplomatic row with Iran and the multinational coalition against terrorism it (Saudi Arabia) had announced.

Anti-Saudi protests were held in Iran yesterday against Riyadh’s execution of the Shia cleric and after Tehran accused its regional rival of bombing its Yemen embassy. It said the three were alleged “terrorists”, but gave no details of the accusations and the Iranians were not identified.

A Saudi-led coalition is backing Yemen’s government in its war against Iran-backed Shiite rebels who seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014.

During weekly prayers in Teheran, influential cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani told worshippers that Riyadh, along with Israel and the United States, was responsible for “all crimes committed against Muslims”.

“The Zionist regime plans, the USA supports and Saudi Arabia sources the necessary funds”, Kashani said, according to IRNA. In Bahrain, more protests were planned Friday, while Shi’ites across the greater Mideast have rallied throughout the week over al-Nimr’s execution.

Pictures from the city of Qatif showed what appeared to be hundreds of demonstrators, many clad in black. “It makes it less hard to change later”, the analyst said of the decision to cut diplomatic ties.

They point to a series of steps Riyadh had taken in recent months towards a thaw with Tehran, including working hard to get a new ambassador approved in Iran after a months-long hiatus, opening a new embassy in Shiite-ruled Iraq, and sitting opposite Iran at Syria peace talks last month in NY.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly accused each other of backing extremist groups who are wreaking chaos in the Middle East.

“People of Pakistan held the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in high esteem and also had deep respect for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”.