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Saudi Arabia's allies Bahrain, Sudan and UAE act against Iran | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A number of Saudi Arabia's allies have joined diplomatic action against Iran after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked amid a row over the execution of a Shia Muslim cleric. | |
Bahrain and Sudan have both severed relations with Iran, and the UAE has downgraded its diplomatic team. | |
Saudi Arabia on Sunday severed ties and gave Iran's diplomats two days to go. | |
Saudi Arabia and Iran are the key Sunni and Shia powers in the region and back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen. | Saudi Arabia and Iran are the key Sunni and Shia powers in the region and back opposing sides in Syria and Yemen. |
More on the Iran-Saudi row | More on the Iran-Saudi row |
Crisis 'most dangerous for decades' | Crisis 'most dangerous for decades' |
Sunnis and Shia: Islam's ancient schism | Sunnis and Shia: Islam's ancient schism |
Row plays out in the media | Row plays out in the media |
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Leading Saudi Shia cleric | Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Leading Saudi Shia cleric |
Bahrain, which is ruled by a Sunni Muslim king but has a majority Shia population, on Monday gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. | |
It accused Iran of "increasing, flagrant and dangerous meddling" in the internal affairs of Gulf and Arab states. | |
It said the attack on the Saudi embassy was part of a "very dangerous pattern of sectarian policies that should be confronted... to preserve security and stability in the entire region". | |
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet, has frequently accused Iran of supporting a low-level Shia insurgency that flared following the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011. | |
A Sudan foreign ministry statement read: "In response to the barbaric attacks on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad... Sudan announces the immediate severing of ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran." | |
The United Arab Emirates said it was downgrading its diplomatic representation in Tehran and will cut the number of Iranian diplomats in the country. | |
Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent | |
Ties between Iran and Bahrain have long been difficult; influenced by many of the same factors that have poisoned Saudi-Iranian relations. | |
Bahrain has suffered considerable internal turmoil over the past year and has clamped down heavily, with claims that Iran is behind much of the unrest. | |
Last July, Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Tehran after it foiled an arms smuggling plot which it attributed to Iranian-backed elements. | |
The demise of Saddam Hussein's Iraq - which always served as an Arab counter-weight to Tehran - has resulted in a growing regional role for Iran, which the Gulf Arabs see as a serious threat. | |
The US-Iran nuclear deal has also increased sensitivities in the region as has the continuing struggle in Syria, in which the Gulf Arabs and Tehran are on very different sides. | |
There are fears sectarian strife may spread in the region following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after they were convicted of terror-related offences. | There are fears sectarian strife may spread in the region following the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after they were convicted of terror-related offences. |
On Monday, two Sunni mosques in Iraq were bombed and an imam killed. | On Monday, two Sunni mosques in Iraq were bombed and an imam killed. |
'Pursuing confrontation' | 'Pursuing confrontation' |
Saudi Arabia announced late on Sunday that it was severing diplomatic relations with Iran after demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. It has recalled its own diplomats. | Saudi Arabia announced late on Sunday that it was severing diplomatic relations with Iran after demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. It has recalled its own diplomats. |
Iran's foreign ministry on Monday accused the Saudis of "continuing the policy of increasing tension and clashes in the region". | Iran's foreign ministry on Monday accused the Saudis of "continuing the policy of increasing tension and clashes in the region". |
Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said: "Saudi Arabia sees not only its interests but also its existence in pursuing crises and confrontations and attempts to resolve its internal problems by exporting them to the outside." | Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said: "Saudi Arabia sees not only its interests but also its existence in pursuing crises and confrontations and attempts to resolve its internal problems by exporting them to the outside." |
He defended Iran's response to the embassy attack, saying it had "acted in accordance with its obligations to control the broad wave of popular emotion". Fifty arrests were made. | He defended Iran's response to the embassy attack, saying it had "acted in accordance with its obligations to control the broad wave of popular emotion". Fifty arrests were made. |
Iran's first vice-president, Eshaq Jahangiri, said it would be Saudi Arabia that lost out by severing ties, accusing it of "hasty and illogical actions". | Iran's first vice-president, Eshaq Jahangiri, said it would be Saudi Arabia that lost out by severing ties, accusing it of "hasty and illogical actions". |
But in announcing the cut in ties, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said accused Iran of having "distributed weapons and planted terrorist cells in the region". | But in announcing the cut in ties, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said accused Iran of having "distributed weapons and planted terrorist cells in the region". |
"Iran's history is full of negative interference and hostility in Arab issues, and it is always accompanied by destruction," he said. | "Iran's history is full of negative interference and hostility in Arab issues, and it is always accompanied by destruction," he said. |
In other developments: | In other developments: |