Saudi Arabia announces it is severing ties with Iran, Canada urging diplomacy
Posted Jan 3, 2016 05:02:15 PM.
Last Updated Jan 4, 2016 05:57:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TEHRAN, Iran – Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says his country is severing diplomatic ties with Iran amid spiking tensions over the execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric.
Al-Jubeir said late Sunday evening that Iranian diplomatic personnel had 48 hours to leave the country and all Saudi diplomatic personnel in Iran were being recalled home.
Demonstrators in Tehran broke into the Saudi Embassy early Sunday morning to protest the execution of Shiekh Nimr al-Nimr, a leader of the country’s Shiite minority.
Iranian officials harshly condemned the execution, with Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying that Saudi Arabia would face “divine retribution.”
The ultraconservative Sunni kingdom and Shiite powerhouse Iran have waged a bitter struggle for regional power for years. The two countries each back opposing sides in civil wars in Yemen and in Syria.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion says Canada is calling on the Saudi government to “protect human rights, respect peaceful expressions of dissent and ensure fairness in judicial proceedings.”
Dion says Canada is particularly concerned that the executions could “further inflame” sectarian tensions in the region.
Dion says Canada is urging leaders in both Saudi Arabia and Iran to work to defuse tensions and promote reconciliation.
Al-Nimr’s death has drawn protests from Shiites around the world, who backed his call for reform in Saudi Arabia, including wider political freedom for their sect.
