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| Kuwait becomes latest Saudi ally to downgrade ties with Iran | Kuwait becomes latest Saudi ally to downgrade ties with Iran |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| BEIRUT — Kuwait became the latest in a growing list of Saudi Arabian allies to cut or downgrade ties with Iran, saying Tuesday that it has recalled its ambassador to Tehran in solidarity with the kingdom as tensions deepen. | |
| The widening rifts — opened by the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia on Saturday — have pit Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies against Tehran’s Shiite leadership. The confrontations could push the region dangerously closer to conflict, and imperil critical objectives including peace efforts in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State. | |
| Calls for restraint have come from around the world as each side digs in. | |
| Bahrain and Sudan earlier joined Saudi Arabia in severing diplomatic relations with Iran on Monday. The United Arab Emirates, a key Iranian trading partner, recalled its ambassador, and then Kuwait followed suit. | |
| Shiite-led protests, meanwhile, have flared across the Middle East. In Tehran, the Saudi Embassy was ransacked and burned just hours after the cleric, Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, was put to death. | |
| [The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry] | [The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry] |
| Nimr was a leading voice among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, which has complained of discrimination and other pressures at the hands of the kingdom’s Sunni rulers. Saudi authorities convicted Nimr of terrorism-related acts. | Nimr was a leading voice among Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, which has complained of discrimination and other pressures at the hands of the kingdom’s Sunni rulers. Saudi authorities convicted Nimr of terrorism-related acts. |
| Among the worries is whether the impasse could set back attempts at finding a political formula to end the civil war in Syria, where Iran backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia is on the opposite side as a major supporter of anti-Assad factions. | Among the worries is whether the impasse could set back attempts at finding a political formula to end the civil war in Syria, where Iran backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia is on the opposite side as a major supporter of anti-Assad factions. |
| After emergency talks in Riyadh, The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said Tuesday that Saudi leaders expressed “clear determination” not to let the disputes derail Syrian peace bids. De Mistura next travels to Tehran to assess whether the talks between rival Syrian factions can go ahead as scheduled Jan. 25. | |
| The diplomatic feud also could become an unwelcome distraction for Washington and its Western allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. | The diplomatic feud also could become an unwelcome distraction for Washington and its Western allies in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. |
| The Obama administration, caught in the middle by its quest for a closer relationship with Iran and its long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia, said it hoped Tehran and Riyadh would dial back the hostile rhetoric that has fueled the worst crisis between the regional rivals in decades. | The Obama administration, caught in the middle by its quest for a closer relationship with Iran and its long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia, said it hoped Tehran and Riyadh would dial back the hostile rhetoric that has fueled the worst crisis between the regional rivals in decades. |
| “We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington. | “We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington. |
| In other world capitals, the message was similar as concerns mounted. | In other world capitals, the message was similar as concerns mounted. |
| [Who is the Saudi cleric whose death caused the Riyadh-Tehran blowup?] | [Who is the Saudi cleric whose death caused the Riyadh-Tehran blowup?] |
| Among the latest appeals, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to immediately open “diplomatic channels” — perhaps through a third country — to ease the impasse. | Among the latest appeals, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to immediately open “diplomatic channels” — perhaps through a third country — to ease the impasse. |
| But there were few signs of outreach. | But there were few signs of outreach. |
| In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Saudi Arabia as trying to “cover up its crime” of executing Nimr, who was among 47 prisoners put to death. It was the largest number of executions in the kingdom on a single day since 1980. | In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Saudi Arabia as trying to “cover up its crime” of executing Nimr, who was among 47 prisoners put to death. It was the largest number of executions in the kingdom on a single day since 1980. |
| At a palace in Riyadh, meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in efforts to bolster a common front. On Monday, Saudi Arabia pledged more than $3 billion in loans and other assistance for Egypt’s battered economy despite Riyadh’s own belt-tightening due to slumping oil prices. | At a palace in Riyadh, meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in efforts to bolster a common front. On Monday, Saudi Arabia pledged more than $3 billion in loans and other assistance for Egypt’s battered economy despite Riyadh’s own belt-tightening due to slumping oil prices. |
| In previous years, increased friction between OPEC giants would likely send oil prices sharply higher. But a current glut of oil on the market — coupled with a slowing economy in China — has kept oil prices relatively steady even among the deepening Saudi-Iran crisis. | In previous years, increased friction between OPEC giants would likely send oil prices sharply higher. But a current glut of oil on the market — coupled with a slowing economy in China — has kept oil prices relatively steady even among the deepening Saudi-Iran crisis. |
| The official Saudi Press Agency quoted Jubeir as denouncing what he called Iranian-sponsored “terrorism, violence and extremism” around the region — clear references to divides in flash points such as Syria and Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting rebels who Saudi Arabia claims receive Iranian aid. Iran denies it. | |
| [Can a Saudi-led “Islamic alliance” make a difference in anti-terror fight?] | [Can a Saudi-led “Islamic alliance” make a difference in anti-terror fight?] |
| And more diplomatic backlash is possible. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, anchored by Saudi Arabia, plans to meet Saturday in Riyadh to discuss “the repercussions” of the attacks on the Saudi Embassy and the nation’s consulate in Mashhad in northeastern Iran. | And more diplomatic backlash is possible. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, anchored by Saudi Arabia, plans to meet Saturday in Riyadh to discuss “the repercussions” of the attacks on the Saudi Embassy and the nation’s consulate in Mashhad in northeastern Iran. |
| Iran says it has arrested demonstrators responsible for the assault and has pledged to deter future attacks against all diplomatic facilities in Iran. | Iran says it has arrested demonstrators responsible for the assault and has pledged to deter future attacks against all diplomatic facilities in Iran. |
| Yet the implications of the Saudi-Iranian rift extend far beyond their immediate rivalry as competing regional powerhouses and encompass almost all of the wars raging in the Middle East. | |
| In another sign of fallout, Bahrain joined Saudi Arabia in suspending all air links with Iran. Bahrain had halted Iran flights from 2011 to 2014 after an Arab Spring-inspired uprising by the island nation’s large Shiite population. | |
| Hundred of marchers protesting Nimr’s execution faced police tear gas and bird shot in Bahrain during a second day of clashes, news agencies reported. | Hundred of marchers protesting Nimr’s execution faced police tear gas and bird shot in Bahrain during a second day of clashes, news agencies reported. |
| [How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings] | [How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings] |
| “I don’t think this is going to open warfare, but it’s going to make the proxy battles worse,” said Mohamad Bazzi, a professor at New York University who is writing a book on Iranian-Saudi relations. “The pattern has been that when one side escalates, the other escalates. Now that is going to spiral.” | “I don’t think this is going to open warfare, but it’s going to make the proxy battles worse,” said Mohamad Bazzi, a professor at New York University who is writing a book on Iranian-Saudi relations. “The pattern has been that when one side escalates, the other escalates. Now that is going to spiral.” |
| Also at risk is the war against the Islamic State, a conflict often obscured by the region’s many other rivalries. | Also at risk is the war against the Islamic State, a conflict often obscured by the region’s many other rivalries. |
| “The growing sectarian polarization across the region will primarily benefit the Islamic State, which is promoting a sectarian narrative,” the London-based defense consulting company IHS said in a commentary. | “The growing sectarian polarization across the region will primarily benefit the Islamic State, which is promoting a sectarian narrative,” the London-based defense consulting company IHS said in a commentary. |
| Murphy reported from Washington. | Murphy reported from Washington. |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings | How Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State find common ground in beheadings |
| The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry | The seven most important moments of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry |
| Who is the Saudi cleric whose death caused the Riyadh-Tehran blowup? | Who is the Saudi cleric whose death caused the Riyadh-Tehran blowup? |
| 7 remarkable insults in the Iran-Saudi Arabia war of words | 7 remarkable insults in the Iran-Saudi Arabia war of words |