Bahrain severs diplomatic ties with Iran after Saudi embassy attack

The Saudi decision to halt diplomatic relations came after its the mass execution Saturday of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others – the largest carried out by Saudi Arabia in three and a half decades – laid bare the sectarian divisions gripping the region.

Manama ordered Tehran’s diplomats in the tiny Gulf state “to leave the kingdom within 48 hours”, BNA state news agency reported on Twitter.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said trade links with Iran would be cut and air traffic links stopped, reports BBC.

Bahrain and Sudan followed suit on Monday, while Moscow offered to act as an intermediary between Riyadh and Tehran.

Although relations between Saudi Arabia, which is mostly Sunni, and Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, have never been warm, the tensions mark the worst deterioration in ties in recent years.

A man was shot dead in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province late on Sunday, and two Sunni mosques in Iraq’s Shi’ite-majority Hilla province were bombed in the fallout from the dispute between the Middle East’s top Sunni and Shi’ite powers. He was accused of inciting violence, leading protests against the Saudi government and carrying arms.

The United States has urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to de-escalate the situation.

Iran and Saudi are major producers, but Riyadh’s current level of crude output far outpaces that of Iran and it is seen as a heavyweight in its ability to help set the direction of oil prices.

Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and on Monday with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Kirby said. The African Horn nation recalled its ambassador to Tehran and expelled the entire Iranian diplomatic mission from Sudan, including the ambassador. Egypt cut ties with Iran in 1989.

Ban wanted to ensure that both Iran and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals with a long history of tense relations, continue their commitment to ending the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where the two countries back opposing sides, Dujarric said.

He said the blood of Sheikh Nimr would “plague the Al Saud [family] until the Day of Resurrection”, prompting cries of “Death to the Al Saud!” among an audience watching his address.

Iran’s supreme leader said Saudi politicians will face “divine vengeance” for killing the cleric.