DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The latest developments after Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Tehran amid a dispute over Riyadh’s execution of an opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran. (All times local).
10:15 p.m.
A memorial service is underway for a Shiite sheikh executed by Saudi Arabia last weekend.
The service is being held in a village the kingdom’s predominantly Shiite eastern region. And though armored personnel carriers rumbled through the streets and smoke rose from burning tires in al-Awamiya on Thursday night, the memorial for Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr proceeded peacefully.
However, those living in the area remain on edge as recent nights have been broken up by gunfire.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed al-Nimr, prominent opposition Shiite cleric, on Saturday.
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7:35 p.m.
Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, widely thought to wield considerable power in the monarchy, has given an interview to a magazine in which he says he doesn’t believe the kingdom and Iran will go to war.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also defended the kingdom’s execution of a Shiite cleric in the interview with The Economist magazine, published online Thursday night.
Asked about the possibility of war, Prince Mohammed said: “It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind. Because a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region. … For sure we will not allow any such thing.”
In defending the sheikh’s execution, Prince Mohammed says: “The court did not, at all, make any distinction between whether or not a person is Shiite or Sunni. They are reviewing a crime, and a procedure, and a trial, and a sentence and carrying out the sentence.”
The magazine said it conducted the interview on Monday. The kingdom severed relations with Iran late Sunday.
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5:50 p.m.
Somalia says it has cut diplomatic ties with Iran amid ongoing tensions between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia.
A Somali Foreign Ministry statement issued on Thursday accused Iran of trying to destabilize the Horn of Africa nation.
The ministry says it has recalled its acting ambassador to Iran and ordered Iranian diplomats to leave Somalia within 72 hours.
Somalia joins Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Bahrain in cutting ties to Iran amid the crisis. Other countries have downgraded their ties to Iran.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend.
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4 p.m.
An Associated Press reporter in Yemen’s capital says he sees no damage at the Iranian Embassy after the Islamic Republic said it was hit in an overnight Saudi-led strike.
The neighborhood in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, has been struck before as it is home to several strategic sites. On Thursday, the AP reporter said the embassy was still standing without any visible damage.
Iran’s state-run news agency earlier said a Saudi-led airstrike last night hit the embassy, citing the country’s Foreign Ministry. Saudi officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, is held by Shiite rebels known as Houthis. They are targeted by an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Iran has offered support to the Houthis, but denies actively supporting their war effort.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend.
-Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen
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3:35 p.m.
Iran’s state-run news agency says a Saudi-led airstrike last night hit the Iranian Embassy in Yemen.
Associated Press journalists in Yemen could not immediately reach the embassy in the war-torn capital on Thursday after the IRNA report. Saudi officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, is held by Shiite rebels known as Houthis. They are targeted by an ongoing Saudi-led military campaign on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Iran has offered support to the Houthis, but denies actively supporting their war effort.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend.
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3 p.m.
Iran has banned the import of goods from Saudi Arabia after the kingdom cut diplomatic ties over attacks on the Saudi embassy following the execution of a Shiite cleric.
Iranian state television made the announcement Thursday. It said the decision came during an emergency meeting of the Cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani.
Annual imports from Saudi Arabia total about $60 million a year and consisted mostly of packing materials and textiles.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after crowds of protesters attacked two of its diplomatic posts in Iran. Those attacks came after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend.
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