Kuwait recalls its envoy from Iran
Attacks on Saudi embassy ‘a flagrant breach of international conventions’
Kuwait yesterday said that it has recalled its ambassador to Iran, becoming the fourth GCC country to take direct action against Tehran.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry said that the decision was taken following “the storming, torching and sabotage activities carried out by a group of demonstrators on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashad”.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that such actions constituted “a flagrant breach of international conventions and violation of Iran’s international commitment to security and safety of diplomatic missions on its territory,” Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported.
Pakistan also voiced its concern over the crisis in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations and said it would make efforts to defuse the flare-up.
Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said after the visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir to Pakistan tomorrow he would be able to give a more detailed statement on the issue and other related topics.
Aziz said tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran “is a very sensitive issue” and the Pakistan government was playing a positive and balanced role.
Several members of the National Assembly suggested that the government should immediately send delegations to Saudi Arabia and Iran to resolve the issue between them.
Downgrade
Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Bahrain on Monday severed diplomatic relations with Iran. The UAE on Monday recalled its ambassador to Tehran “in accordance with the UAE’s decision to downgrade diplomatic representation in Iran”.
Qatar has condemned the attacks on the Saudi diplomatic missions and stressed support for Saudi Arabia. Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that it stands in solidarity with other Gulf states amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran over Riyadh’s execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr Al Nimr.
The ministry also denied reports that Oman’s ambassador to Iran had rejected cutting off ties with Iran.
A circulated tweet falsely attributed comments to Saud Al Barwani that cutting of ties with Iran was wrong, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also denied a tweet circulated earlier this week saying that Oman’s foreign minister, Yousuf Bin Alawi, condemned the execution of Al Nimr.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has condemned the attacks and 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”.
US Secretary of State John Kerry called his Iranian and Saudi counterparts on Monday to urge calm as European leaders raised concerns and Moscow offered to act as an intermediary.
Phone conversation
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also spoke by phone with the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to urge them to “avoid any actions that could further exacerbate the situation,” Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“A breakdown of relations between Riyadh and Tehran could have very serious consequences for the region,” Dujarric said.
The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, headed to Riyadh and Tehran to defuse tensions, worried that the row would undermine growing efforts to resolve that country’s conflict.
The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, sparking major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh.