Whatever the reason behind Saudi Arabia’s severance of relations with Iran, it definitely lacks prudence and is a wrong method, Saud bin Ahmed bin Khalid Al Barwani said in a meeting with Iran’s parliament speaker in Tehran on Monday.
The envoy argued that the regional circumstances, including the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, necessitate pushing for calm, not escalation of the tensions.
The Omani diplomat added that Riyadh’s move to cut ties with Iran is part of efforts to mount pressure on Iran and overshadow Tehran’s success to clinch a lasting nuclear agreement with the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, among dozens of others. The execution ignited widespread international condemnation, from both political and religious figures.
In the early hours of Sunday, furious demonstrators in the Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad stormed Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic buildings in protest at the Al Saud’s execution of the popular cleric.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized the incident and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Saudi Arabia, however, severed its diplomatic relations with Iran and gave the Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the kingdom.