Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic relations with Iran

Saudi Arabia “is breaking off diplomatic ties with Iran and requests that all members of the Iranian diplomatic mission leave… within 48 hours”, he told a news conference yesterday.

Al-Nimr and three other Shiite dissidents were among 47 people executed by Saudi Arabia on Saturday after being convicted of terrorism charges.

“Wrong, misled and mistaken [are] those who think that the killing will keep us from our rightful demands”, al-Nimr’s brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, tweeted following the execution, according to the Post.

Officials in Lebanon and Syria condemned the execution of Nimr, 56, a force behind anti- government protests in Saudi Arabia in 2011.

Iranian protesters attacked and set fire to the Saudi embassy on Saturday after news of the execution spread.

However, hours after Iran’s President’s statements, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Saudi Arabia would face “divine revenge” for the execution of Sheikh Al-Nimr, calling Al-Nimr a “martyr”.

‘We have a relationship with Saudi Arabia where we are able to speak candidly to them, where these issues are raised on a regular basis by the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister and our representatives in Riyadh’.

Predominantly-Shiite Iran, the Sunni kingdom’s longtime rival, said in reaction to Nimr’s execution that “the Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution”.

Tehran’s police chief said an unspecified number of “unruly elements” were arrested for attacking the embassy with firebombs and rocks. He later said police had removed the protesters from the building and arrested some of them, adding that the situation had been “defused”.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saudi Arabia’s “medieval act of savagery” in executing the cleric would lead to the “downfall” of the country’s monarchy.

In Saudi Arabia’s Qatif region, protests erupted in rejection to al-Nimr’s prosecution, denouncing the rule of the Al-Saud dynasty.

Meanwhile, Jubeir said Riyadh is vigilant over Iranian threats against Saudi diplomats in Baghdad.

“We’re aware of reports that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ordered the closure of Iranian diplomatic missions in the Kingdom”, an Obama administration official said.

The State Department also urged the Saudi government to “respect and protect human rights, and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases”, as well as to permit peaceful expression of dissent and work with all community leaders to defuse tensions.