United Nations slams ambush on Saudi embassy in Iran

The execution sparked outrage among Shiites around the world, with protests in Iraq, Bahrain and Pakistan, and even in Saudi Arabia’s tightly controlled Shiite heartland in the east. Iran’s government – which presents itself as a defender of Shiites in the region – loudly condemned the killing.

Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni Muslim power in the Middle East, and Shiite power Iran have long competed for influence in the region.

“We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region”, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington.

The scene around the Iranian embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah looks normal while the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad have been burned down by angry mobs.

BEIRUT/DUBAI, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was quick to condemn the execution of Saudi cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, stating: “Without a doubt, the hated Saudi regime will pay a price for this shameful act”.

The escalation of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran against the backdrop of the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia cleric could negatively rebound on the efforts for establishing a peace process in Syria, analysts here said.

President Hassan Rouhani’s comments came as Kuwait announced it had recalled its ambassador to Iran over attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic.

However, in Riyadh “additional revenue means Iran will have a greater capacity to be a nuisance” in the region, Perrin added.

Kuwait said Tuesday the embassy attacks “represent a flagrant breach of worldwide agreements and norms and a grave violation of Iran’s global commitments”.

He also didn’t rule out that a number of other countries, protecting their own interests, may take part in a possible open military conflict that can arise as a result of the crisis in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Jarallah said in the protest note that such action by Iran constituted a flagrant violation of worldwide conventions and norms.

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Sulaiman Al-Jarallah (center right) meets Iranian Ambassador Ali Reda Enayeti (center left) after summoning the envoy at the foreign ministry yesterday.

Riyadh is trying to compensate for its political failures in regional conflicts, according to Nobakht.

Mostly missing in analyses of these developments is the fact that most of these nations – the Sudan being a notable exception – aren’t just allies of Saudi Arabia. The Arab League called an emergency meeting of foreign ministers for January 10 to discuss the attack on the Saudi Embassy and other Iranian “interference in Arab affairs”.

China and Russian Federation, friendlier with Iran, may have more leverage as peacemakers than the United States.

Last year, Riyadh began a war in Yemen to stop an Iran-allied militia seizing power in its southern neighbour and boosted support to Syrian rebels against Tehran’s ally President Bashar Al Assad.

More trouble flared in Eastern Province Tuesday when gunmen intercepted and torched a bus, without causing casualties, two days after a civilian was shot dead in Nimr’s home village.