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             Iran Criticizes Saudi Severing of Diplomatic Relations

   by Chris Hannas

   Iran criticized Saudi Arabia for its move to cut off diplomatic
   relations between the two countries, saying Monday that Saudi actions
   are fueling regional tensions.

   Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari also said at the Monday
   morning briefing Iranian diplomats had not left Saudi Arabia and that
   arrangements were being made for their return home.

   Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced late Sunday that along
   with the decision to sever ties, the diplomats had to leave the country
   within 48 hours.

   The move came in response to the storming of the Saudi embassy in
   Tehran by protesters angry about Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent
   Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

   Jubeir said Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia would not allow Shi'ite
   dominated Iran to undermine his country's security, or that of the
   region.

   "The continued attacks on diplomatic missions is a flagrant violation
   of all international treaties," Jubeir said. "We want to make it very
   clear that there is no space in the community of nations for a country
   that condones terrorism, that supports terrorism and that engages in
   terrorism."

   Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said later the
   Saudi decision could not distract from its "big mistake" of executing
   Nimr, who was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's ruling royal
   family.  He was convicted in 2014 of sedition and other charges, and in
   2011 was a key leader of Shi'ite protests in eastern Saudi Arabia.

   Forty-six others were also executed in the kingdom Saturday, triggering
   international outrage and warnings of grave repercussions for the Saudi
   royal family.

   The U.S. State Department, in a statement, said Washington "will
   continue to urge leaders across the region to take affirmative steps to
   calm tensions."  The statement also said the Obama administration
   believes "that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations remain
   essential" to resolving the crisis.

   ''

   Iran threatens 'divine vengeance'

   Earlier Sunday, Iran's supreme leader said Saudi Arabia will face
   "divine vengeance" for its execution of Nimr.  State television quoted
   Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying, "The unjustly spilled blood of this
   oppressed martyr will no doubt soon show its effect and divine
   vengeance will befall Saudi politicians."

   He also said Nimr "neither encouraged people into armed action nor
   secretly conspired for plots, but the only thing he did was utter
   public criticism rising from his religious zeal."

   Angry Iranian protesters on Saturday stormed the Saudi embassy in
   Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad, smashing furniture and setting fires
   at the embassy before being ejected by police.

   At least 40 protesters were arrested. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
   called the attacks on the diplomatic missions "totally unjustifiable,"
   even as he denounced Riyadh's execution of the 56-year-old Shi'ite
   cleric.

   Iran's Revolutionary Guard said in a statement Sunday Nimr's death
   would lead to the "downfall" of Saudi Arabia's monarchy.  The Guard
   described Nimr's execution as a "medieval act of savagery."

   Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called the execution "an
   injustice and an aggression."

   ''

   Condemnations, warnings spread

   A top Shi'ite cleric in Lebanon also warned of a backlash to Nimr's
   execution.  Sheikh Abdul-Amir Kabalan described the execution as "a
   crime at a human level and will have repercussions in the coming days."

   Protests also erupted in Bahrain, where police used tear gas on the
   crowds.  Demonstrations also took place in India, as well as the Saudi
   embassy in London.

   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply dismayed" by the
   execution of Nimr and called for "calm and restraint in reaction" to
   the killings.

   Washington warned that Nimr's death would only add to strife between
   religious sects in the region.

   "We are particularly concerned that the execution of prominent Shia
   cleric and political activist Nimr al-Nimr risks exacerbating sectarian
   tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced," U.S. State
   Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement Saturday.

   Iran and Saudi Arabia have been vying for leadership in the Muslim
   world since Iran's 1979 revolution, which elevated to power hard-line
   Shi'ite clerics. The U.S. war in Iraq further inflamed religious and
   ethnic tensions by leading to a Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad and a
   crucial shift in the sectarian balance of power in the region.

   After Arab Spring protests erupted in 2011, Saudi Arabia and Iran
   entered into a fierce proxy war in Syria, where they support opposite
   sides of the conflict.  The two foes also back opposing military
   factions in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has bombed Iran-backed
   Shi'ite targets for the past nine months.
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   lomatic-relations/3129996.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-criticizes-saudi-severing-of-diplomatic-relations/3129996.html