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Saudi Arabia breaks off ties with Iran after al-Nimr execution | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Saudi Arabia says it has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric. | |
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was speaking after demonstrators had stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. | |
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others were executed on Saturday. Saudi Arabia found them guilty of "terrorism". | |
Mr Jubeir said that all Iranian diplomats must leave Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. | |
Saudi Arabia has evacuated its diplomats from Tehran, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reports. | |
Earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that the Sunni Muslim kingdom would face "divine revenge" for the execution - an act which also angered Shia Muslims elsewhere in the Middle East. | |
Ayatollah Khamenei called Sheikh Nimr a "martyr" who had acted peacefully. | |
Protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran late on Saturday, setting fire to the building before being driven back by police. | |
Iran is Saudi Arabia's main regional rival - they back opposing sides in the Syria and Yemen conflicts. | |
Who was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr? | |
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Figurehead Shia cleric |