Turkey summons Iran’s ambassador over Erdogan broadcast

Iranians have rallied against Saudi Arabia to protest the kingdom putting to death Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an execution that sparked regional protests and tensions.

Iran has banned the import of goods from Saudi Arabia after the kingdom cut diplomatic ties over attacks on the Saudi embassy following the execution of al-Nimr.

Djibouti cut diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday, its foreign minister said, in response to the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by Iranian protesters.

Anger boiled up in Iran, Iraq and elsewhere in the region following the execution of the top cleric on baseless terrorism-related charges on January 2, which also drew widespread worldwide condemnation.

As the region’s dominant Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have a hard history and Riyadh fears that the nuclear agreement will empower Tehran.

On Wednesday, Jordan summoned the Iranian ambassador in Amman and condemned the attack on Saudi embassy in Tehran, as well as its rejection of Iran’s interference in Arab affairs.

The Saudi-led coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said the accusations would be investigated and explained that the coalition had conducted heavy airstrikes against Houthi militants’ missile launchers.

Iran accused Saudi Arabia on Thursday of an aerial attack on its embassy in Yemen’s capital, a claim that, if true, will only add to the bad blood between the two rivals for regional power.

The escalating conflict began Saturday with a mass execution at various locations inside Saudi Arabia.

An Associated Press reporter in Yemen’s capital says he sees no damage at the Iranian Embassy after the Islamic Republic said it was hit in an overnight Saudi-led strike.

Meanwhile, a number of countries – including the USA, the U.K., China and Turkey – urged both Saudi Arabia and Iran to show restraint amid the ongoing row. Mohammed al-Nimr, the sheikh’s brother, said people planned to hold a funeral Thursday for the cleric, though Saudi authorities already buried his corpses in an undisclosed cemetery.