Probe to Find out If Saudi Attacked Iran’s Embassy in Yemen

“This deliberate action by Saudi Arabia is a violation of all worldwide conventions that protect diplomatic missions”, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Hossein Jaber Ansari said, quoted by state television.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran, which followed Riyadh’s execution on Saturday of a prominent Shia cleric.

The latest tensions threaten efforts to end conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite-led Iran support opposing sides. But local residents and an Associated Press reporter on the ground say that while dozens of new airstrikes fell on Sanaa today (Jan. 7), there is no visible damage to the embassy’s building.

Iran has also accused Saudi Arabia of purposely targeting the Iranian embassy in Yemen during a recent airstrike, though according to the BBC the building may not have been hit.

Turkey summoned Iran’s ambassador on Thursday to demand a halt to Iranian media reports linking the execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia with last week’s visit to Riyadh by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The attack, on Wednesday night, was said to have occurred as the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen carried out its heaviest air strikes in months over Sanaa.

Zarif said that from the first days of President Hassan Rouhani’s election, both he and the president have sent public and private signals to Saudi Arabia “about our readiness to engage in dialogue and accommodation to promote regional stability and combat destabilizing extremist violence”. That could spark further unrest, as witnesses in eastern Saudi towns have reported hearing gunfire overnight and armoured personnel carriers have been seen driving through neighbourhood streets.

Earlier, IRNA had said that shrapnel hit a wall of the embassy and injured several staff there.

In other developments, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir arrived in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, for meetings with Pakistani leaders.

Around 1,000 protestors marched through Tehran on Friday chanting “death to Al-Saud” – Riyadh’s ruling family, according to an AFP photographer.

Shortly after the unrest, Saudi Arabia quickly severed diplomatic ties with Iran.

The Hezbollah figure also hailed Iran as a major country that Arabs and Muslims can rely on, recommending the Saudi officials to exercise wisdom and stop creating problems.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged Saudi Arabia to stop provoking his country, calling instead for a united Arab front.