UAE downgrades diplomatic ties with Iran

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran after the embassy protest, recalling its diplomats from the Islamic republic and giving Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.

The decision was announced by Bahraini Media Minister Isa al-Hamadi. Al-Nimr was a rabid anti-Sunni who espoused the removal of the Sunni Muslim Saudi royal family during the so-called Arab spring in 2011.

The rift follows Saudi Arabia’s execution of a cleric from the country’s Shiite Muslim minority – a move that was harshly criticized by Iran, which is dominated by Shiite Muslims.

A mob on Saturday firebombed the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital and a consulate in second city Meshhad, triggering regional and worldwide condemnation.

Pakistan on Monday expressed concerns over growing tension Saudi Arabia and Iran and called for the resolution of difference through peaceful means.

United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said de Mistura “hopes that the adverse consequences of the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran do not affect the peace process with the Syrians”.

Dion says Canada is particularly concerned that the country’s execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr could “further inflame” sectarian tensions in the region.

Riyadh also defended the execution of 47 men including Nimr, saying in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that they were “granted fair and just trials without any consideration to their intellectual, racial or sectarian affiliation”.

Within hours, the United Arab Emirates announced it would downgrade its own diplomatic ties to Tehran, bringing them down to the level of the charge d’affaires and would from now on focus entirely on the business relationships between the two countries.

“On the severing of diplomatic ties, we continue to believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations are essential to work through differences”, he added. “We reaffirm our calls on the government of Saudi Arabia to respect and protect human rights, and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases”. “USA diplomatic officials in Saudi Arabia have been in touch with their counterparts to convey this message”, he said.

There have been reports of unrest in the eastern Saudi Arabian governorate of Qatif, al-Nimr’s home region and a stronghold of the country’s restive Shiite minority.