Tehran regime further isolated
ARAB NEWS
Published — Tuesday 5 January 2016
Last update 5 January 2016 2:41 am
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JEDDAH: Many countries expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and recalled their ambassadors from Iran after attacks on the Kingdom’s missions in Tehran and Mashhad, including Bahrain and Sudan, with the UAE downgrading its presence in that country.
Bahrain on Monday decided to cut ties with Iran, a day after Saudi Arabia severed relations with Tehran, the Bahrain News Agency reported.
Bahrain gave Iranian envoys 48 hours to leave, expressing similar sentiments to that of Saudi Arabia when it accused Tehran of interfering in the affairs of regional countries and giving safe haven to terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda.
BNA said in a statement that “after the cowardly acts inflicted on our brethren at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad — which represent a flagrant violation of intentional treaties and grave sectarian policies — we cannot be silent about nor accept it (an Iranian diplomatic presence).”
“Instead, this needs to be immediately counteracted decisively with full force, to prevent widespread unrest and to ensure stability of the region,” the statement said.
The UAE on Monday downgraded its diplomatic representation and cut the number of envoys on its soil. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the decision was taken on the backdrop of Iran’s “continuous interference” in Gulf and Arab affairs, and added that Tehran’s meddling had reached an “unprecedented” level.
The statement, carried by WAM, said that UAE’s ambassador to Tehran Saif Al-Zi’abi had been recalled following the decision.
Sudan has decided to expel Iran’s ambassador from Khartoum. Lt. Gen. Taha Othman Al-Hussein, minister of state and director general of the Sudanese president’s offices, called Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to inform him of the decision.
Al-Hussein said the decision was taken to expel the ambassador and the entire mission, and also condemned Iranian “interference,” according to a report carried by SPA.
Meanwhile, Russia has condemned the attacks on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, and said host countries must protect diplomatic missions in accordance with international treaties.
In a statement on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the attacks on diplomatic and consular authorities “cannot be treated as a legitimate means to express protest.”
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