Saudi Arabia expels Iran ambassador after embassy in Iran blaze
Angry protesters set Saudi embassy in Tehran ablaze
TEHRAN (Dunya News/AFP) – Saudi Arabia on Sunday ordered Iranian ambassador to leave the country after its embassy was stormed and set to fire in Tehran, Dunya News reported.
Saudi Arabia has summoned Iranian envoy in protest of Iran’s ‘aggressive statements’ and condemnation following the execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Angry crowds protesting at Saudi Arabia s execution of a top Shia cleric set fire to the kingdom s embassy in Tehran Saturday and stormed the building before being cleared out by police.
In Mashhad, Iran s second biggest city, demonstrators meanwhile set fire to the Saudi consulate, according to news sites, carrying pictures of the alleged assault.
The incidents came hours after the announcement of the death of 56-year-old cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a key figure in anti-government protests in the kingdom since 2011.
The execution prompted strong condemnation from Iran and Iraq.
"There are flames inside the embassy... demonstrators were able to get inside but have since been cleared out," ISNA news agency said.
"The fire has destroyed the interior of the embassy," an eyewitness told AFP. "The police are everywhere and have dispersed the demonstrators, some of whom have been arrested."
Protesters had been able to climb up onto the roof of the embassy before they were made to leave, ISNA added.
Websites carried pictures of demonstrators apparently clutching the Saudi flag, which had been pulled down.
Iranian media quoted foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari as asking police to "protect Saudi Arabia s diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad... and prevent any demonstrations in front of these sites."
Nimr, who spent more than a decade studying theology in Iran, was among a group of 47 Shia and Sunnis executed Saturday on charges of terrorism.
Iran said in reaction to Nimr s execution that "the Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution."
It will "pay a high price for following these policies," Jaber Ansari had warned before the attacks took place.
In response, Saudi Arabia s foreign ministry said it had summoned Iran s envoy to protest at the "aggressive Iranian statements on the legal sentences carried out today".
The Saudi interior ministry said the men had been convicted of adopting the radical "takfiri" ideology, joining "terrorist organisations" and implementing various "criminal plots".
