Riyadh, (IINA) - The international community has urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to ease tensions after the severance of diplomatic ties between the two countries following attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, news agencies reported. The Saudi missions were attacked by unruly Iranian mob in protest against the execution of prominent Shiite preacher Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, who was convicted of terrorist acts. Al-Nimr was executed on Saturday along with other 46 terrorism convicts.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to support peace efforts in Syria and Yemen and avoid escalating tensions.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that Ban delivered this message in phone calls to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Monday.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that the UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is en route to Riyadh on Monday and will visit Tehran later this week to gauge the impact of the rupture in relations between the two countries.
The White House urged Saudi Arabia and Iran not to let their diplomatic spat derail talks to end Syria’s conflict.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the US is concerned about the situation and wants Saudi Arabia and Iran to show restraint, urging them not to inflame tensions or further sectarian conflict.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif by phone and urged Tehran to “defuse the tensions and protect the Saudi diplomats”, according to a statement.
Germany also called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to mend ties. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that Germany appeals “to both countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, to use all possibilities to improve their bilateral relations”.
Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Monday that “relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are of fundamental importance for solving the crises in Syria and Yemen, and for the stability of the entire region”.
Britain’s Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft called for a reduction of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, warning that an escalation could derail talks aimed at ending conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Rycroft said that Britain wants the UN Security Council to approve a statement requiring all countries to uphold the Vienna conventions on protecting diplomats and diplomatic premises.
Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also urged both countries to ease tensions, saying the Middle East region is “already like a powder keg” and cannot withstand a new crisis.
Kurtulmus criticized both the attacks on Saudi missions in Iran and Riyadh’s execution of the cleric. He said: “Enough is enough. (The region) is in need of peace and calm. Everyone must act with caution”.
Meanwhile, The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran and expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts “in combating terrorism and violent extremism”.
Kuwait has condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran as well and expressed support for the kingdom. A Kuwaiti Cabinet statement carried by the official KUNA news agency on Monday said that the attacks were a “flagrant violation of the Geneva convention”, which requires states to secure diplomatic posts.
Ambassador of Djibouti to Saudi Arabia and dean of the diplomatic corps Dya-eddin Bamakhrama condemned the attack, saying it violated the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
He said that the convention guarantees the protection and security of diplomatic missions and their personnel, which is the responsibility of the host nation.
Palestine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Basem Al-Agha also condemned the attack, saying that every country must ensure that it protects foreign missions under all circumstances.
Algeria Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Abdul Wahab Derbal denounced the attack, saying that embassies and diplomatic missions are considered sovereign properties. Violations of international law must be taken seriously. Host nations bear the full responsibility for protecting missions.
In a related context, thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad, Najaf and Basra to protest the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr Al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia.
Security has been tightened at the Saudi Embassy in Iraq after the attacks on the country’s diplomatic mission in Tehran.
According to Thamir Al-Sabhan, the Kingdom’s ambassador in Baghdad, security measures have been further enhanced with the help of the local authorities.
Al-Sabhan said that these were precautionary measures and refuted reports that there had been attacks on the country’s embassy in Baghdad. Work at the mission was continuing as normal. More than 50 people are working at the embassy including Iraqis, he said.
Iran’s Leader Ali Khamenei has strongly condemned Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr Al-Nimr, describing the deed as a “political mistake”.
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday. He also planned a round of calls to the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
In addition to Kerry, other senior US diplomats were in close contact with Saudi and Arab officials over the weekend. Yet, officials made it clear that they did not want to mediate the dispute. They stressed that it was up to local leaders to act to ease the situation.
In a related development, the Kingdom of Bahrain has decided on Monday to break off its diplomatic relations with Iran and ordered the personnel of Iran's diplomatic mission and other affiliated offices in Bahrain to leave within 48 hours.
The state-run news agency of the United Arab Emirates also said that the country is downgrading its diplomatic relations with Iran.
The statement was published on Monday afternoon. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry also said it recalled its ambassador from Tehran.
The statement said the UAE would be downgrading its diplomacy to only focus on business relationships between the Gulf Federation and Iran. UAE said that the measure was due to “Iran’s continued interference in the Gulf and Arab countries internal affairs”.
Sudan said that it is severing its diplomatic relations with Iran as well. However, it noted that the decision would take effect immediately.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement carried by Sudan’s state news agency on Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Ali Esfanani, spokesman of the Judicial and Legal Committee of the Iranian parliament, said on Monday that Saudi Arabia’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran likely will force the Islamic Republic to stop sending pilgrims to the annual Hajj.
However, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir stated late Monday that Iranian pilgrims would still be welcome to visit Makkah and Madinah either for Hajj or at other times of year for the Umrah pilgrimage
In addition, Russian state news agency cited a senior diplomat as saying that Moscow is ready to act as a mediator in the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The report by the RIA Novosti news agency on Monday quoted the diplomat as saying that Russia has developed good relations with both countries through Vienna talks, hoping that the state could help resolve the Tehran-Riyadh dispute.
The agency did not identify the Russian diplomat, and it was unclear from the report if Moscow had made an official mediation proposal to either side.
In a related context, Iran has expressed regret over the two attacks on Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions and said that it will spare no effort in arresting and prosecuting those responsible.
Iran’s UN envoy Gholamali Khoshroo stated in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Monday that the Iran “will take necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future”.
Khoshroo said more than 40 protesters at the embassy have been arrested and handed over to judicial authorities, and that investigators are seeking other possible perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Abdallah Al-Moallimi, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UN, said late Monday that the Kingdom was committed to the Syrian peace process, and the diplomatic crisis with Iran would have "no effect" on those efforts.
AG/IINA
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