Saudi-led coalition, Yemen deny Iran embassy hit in Sanaa

A memorial service for the executed cleric, Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, went ahead peacefully Thursday in Awamiya in Saudi Arabia’s predominantly Shiite eastern region, the Associated Press reported.

Cognizant of the risk to his own power, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned both al-Nimr’s execution and the violence against the Saudi Embassy.

By creating the crisis, Saudi Arabia also hopes to disrupt the warming relations between Iran and the USA, which it views as contrary to its interests. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have recalled their ambassadors and downgraded diplomatic ties with Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s soccer federation has said its clubs will not play Asian Champions League matches in Iran amid rising diplomatic tension. Sunnis and Shiites are scattered throughout the region, and suspicions and hostility have long dominated perceptions of the other.

The killing sparked demonstrations in Tehran in which some protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy; the next day Riyadh broke diplomatic relations with Iran, followed by two other Arab countries, Bahrain and Sudan, as well as Somalia.

A spokesman for Dion said the arms deal between the Saudis and General Dynamics Land Systems Canada would not be cancelled because it has the proper export permit.

There are concerns new unrest could erupt. “Either the executions or the cutting of relations”, said a Saudi political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity in an absolute monarchy where publicly questioning rulers’ decisions is taboo. Reduced revenues is forcing a reconsideration of the social contract between the Riyadh government and its citizens, a process that is likely to intensify gaps between the Sunni and Shiite communities in Saudi Arabia.

“The court did not, at all, make any distinction between whether or not a person is Shiite or Sunni”, the prince said in the interview conducted Monday and which the magazine published online Thursday night.

Trudeau has also been advised to anticipate the easing of possible sanctions against Iran in the coming months if progress is made on implementing last year’s landmark nuclear agreement between Tehran and six countries, including the United States – a prospect that seemed imminent on Thursday. Canada’s export-control regime is “carefully reviewed and that human rights considerations are seriously taken into account before a permit is issued”, said Adam Barratt. Similarly, as Saudi Arabia is fighting a proxy war against Iran in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, it is determined not to allow Iran free regional reign. In addition, Saudi Arabia hopes to undermine the EU’s drive for rapprochement with Iran, as it otherwise has the potential of becoming the largest trading partner with the EU.