Tehran/ Riyadh – Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday after protesters ransacked its embassy in Tehran to protest at the execution of a Shiite cleric whose killing has sparked fury. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir made the announcement at a news conference in Riyadh, and said Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave the kingdom, but Tehran fired back that Saudi Arabia’s decision would not distract from its “big mistake” of executing the religious leader. The move came hours after protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and followed harsh criticism by Iran’s top leader of the Saudis’ execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. SHIITES PROTEST – A Muslim cleric, surrounded by policemen, addresses a crowd during a demonstration to denounce the execution of Saudi Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr (seen in poster) in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. [...]
