Iran-Saudi Arabia Row Widens As Kuwait Recalls Envoy From Tehran

 Kuwait has on Tuesday, January 5, announced that it is downgrading its ties and also recalling its ambassador to Iran as a regional row over the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia deepens.

 

Bahraini women carried pictures of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the Saudi Shiite cleric executed by Saudi Arabia, during a protest near the capital, Manama, on Sunday. Credit Mohammed Al-Shaikh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

READ ALSO: Shi’ite Cleric Execution: War Of Words As Saudi Arabia, Bahrain Sever Ties With Iran

Kuwait’s move came after the UN Security Council strongly condemned the attack, carried out by protesters angry over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others.
It would be recalled, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran was ransacked and set alight on Saturday, January 1.
Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response, followed on Monday by its allies Bahrain and Sudan.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, and Shiite-dominated Iran have erupted this week into a full-blown diplomatic crisis, sparking widespread worries of regional instability.
The United States, United Nation and Turkey are among other Western powers calling for calm amid fears the dispute could raise sectarian tensions across the Middle East and derail efforts to resolve conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
The Kuwaiti government said it was recalling its ambassador from the Iranian capital, describing the attacks as a flagrant breach of international norms.

READ ALSO: Terrorism Charges: Saudi Arabia Executes Top Shia Cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, 46 Others

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also condemned the attacks as Tehran’s mission to the UN vowed in a letter to the Security Council to “take necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future”.