Putin: Iran-Saudi Row Impedes Fight against Terrorism

Opening a meeting of Arab League diplomatic chiefs in Cairo, the group’s head, Nabil al-Arabi, accused Tehran of “provocative acts”.

Earlier, the deputy crown prince was received by Khwaja Muhammad Asif, Defense Minister, and Sartaj Aziz, premier’s adviser on national security and foreign affairs, besides military and civil officers at the Nur Khan Airbase, a Pakistani diplomat said.

Iran, wary of escalating tensions in the Middle East, has exercised restraint in the developing conflict with Saudi Arabia, but needs reciprocation, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a New York Times opinion piece.

The assault on the embassy was prompted by Saudi Arabia’s execution of Saudi Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, convicted of sedition in 2014.

Dammam- Pressures on the Iranian regime have intensified especially after the diplomatic procedures taken by several other countries towards Tehran in their protest against the assaults on Saudi Embassy and its Public Consulate in Iran.

Saudi allies Bahrain and Sudan also disclosed this week they were severing diplomatic ties with Iran.

“Saudi Arabia’s approach is to create tension meant to negatively affect the Syrian crisis”, he said in a Foreign Ministry statement.

“The Saudi strategy to derail the nuclear agreement and perpetuate – and even exacerbate – tension in the region has three components: pressuring the West; promoting regional instability through waging war in Yemen and sponsoring extremism; and directly provoking Iran”, Zarif wrote.

“This 34-nation alliance that the Saudis established last month is set to be against Daesh and al-Qaeda; in reality this alliance is the Saudi vision of uniting the Sunni world against Iran and their Shiite militias”, Cafiero said. He said Pakistan attached great importance to the security of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The Saudi-led coalition, which is supported by the US, is targeting Houthi rebels aligned with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who resigned in 2012 following a popular uprising against his rule, RT reported.

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

But after the talks in Tehran, and with Saudi officials in the last week, de Mistura said both countries had vowed to continue to support peace efforts. “In Iran I got the same assurance”, he said.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the largest and fifth-biggest oil producers in OPEC, respectively.