Iranian demonstrators burn a representation of the US and Israeli flags during a demonstration in front of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran, Iran, to protest the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
FOR a long time, Iran and Saudi Arabia have not seen eye-to-eye. But the actions of a new and inexperienced Saudi king has put the two countries on a fresh collision course that threatens to further destabilise an already violent region.
The gulf kingdom is notorious for its public killings. Last year Saudi Arabia carried out more than 150 executions — the highest number in 20 years.
The country has already executed 47 people in 2016 — drawing ugly comparisons with decapitation-loving Islamic State — but it is one killing in particular in Saudi Arabia that has caused widespread anger and revolt, and has aggrieved Shia Muslims now threatening revenge.
After coming to power less than a year ago, many say the blood which is likely to be spilt in a wave of fresh unrest is on the hands of one man: King Salman Al Saud.
AN OVERZEALOUS NEW KING
Salman Al Saud was crowned the new King of Saudi Arabia in January 2015 following the death of his half brother, King Abdullah.
However King Salman is a far cry from his brother, who often made conciliatory gestures toward the country’s minority Shia community in the name of diplomacy. Keen to project a tough image both domestically and abroad, the new leader has ruled with unflinching dedication to the sword.
But now his bloodthirsty style is threatening to blow up in his face.
Included in the 47 people executed over the weekend was Shia cleric and outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Ostensibly, the cleric was executed for his persistent opposition to the Sunni government — something that has outraged supporters of the popular figure.
Sheik Nimr had been a figurehead in the anti-government protests that erupted in the wake of the Arab Spring and had been detained by authorities on a number of occasions before his final arrest in 2012.
Following his killing, a slew of mostly Shia critics have called on the Muslim world to respond with vengeance as the fallout from the execution has caused a dramatic souring of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.Source:AFP
A Bahraini protester holds a picture of Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)Source:AP
Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during a protest denouncing the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Source:AP
IRAN’S REACTION
The Iranian public (which is over 90 per cent Shia) reacted strongly to the execution of the popular cleric and public protests resulted in gangs of mostly young Iranians attacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran at the weekend.
Forty people were arrested after protesters stormed the grounds and set fire to the embassy just hours after remarks from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that castigated King Salman.
“This oppressed scholar had neither invited people to armed movement, nor was involved in covert plots,” the Ayatollah tweeted in reference to al-Nimr’s execution.
In a number of social media posts he said the “unfairly-spilt blood of [the] oppressed martyr” will result in severe consequences for the gulf kingdom as “divine revenge will seize Saudi politicians.”
#SheikhNimr’s martyrdom & unfair bloodshed is Saudi govt’s political mistake. Islamic world & whole world must be concerned about the crime.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 3, 2016A monitoring group from the BBC has been keeping an eye on the reaction from Iran’s press and detailing the condemnation that is fanning the anger felt by many Shias in the region.
The killing “has brought the weak foundations of the bloodthirsty government of Saudi Arabia closer to collapse”, said Iran’s hard-line newspaper Vatan-e Emruz.
Fellow conservative paper Hemayat claimed Saudis must now accept the fact that supporters of the cleric in the region “will take revenge”.
The Sharq newspaper which takes a more reformist tone, feared the “irresponsible” act will exacerbate sectarian tensions in the region and warned Tehran not to get drawn into King Salman’s “dangerous game”.
Strong rhetoric from Tehran was matched by Iran’s Shia allies across the region, with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese militia Hezbollah, describing the execution as “a message of blood”
There have also been demonstrations in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, where Shia Muslims of the country complain of marginalisation. Protests of the execution have also occurred in Iraq, Bahrain and several other countries, reported the BBC.
In response to the burning of the embassy, Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with Iran and ordered all of the country’s diplomats to vacate the country within 48 hours.
Saudi embassy in Tehran on fire. Iranians storm & set ablaze Saudi embassy in Tehran to protest Shiite cleric’s execution. pic.twitterSource:Twitter
Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran3:23
Saudi Arabia has severed ties with Iran following a row sparked by its execution of a prominent Shia cleric.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE WEST?
What makes the flare-up even more worrying for the world is the proxy wars being fought by both Iran and Saudi Arabia as the two countries almost always fall on opposing sides on secular-based conflicts in the region.
Currently the two countries and are backing opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. The new bout of tension has heightened concerns of a deterioration in the already bloody situation.
The US and UN have both called for restraint as protests continued in Tehran on Sunday.
In a statement released after the executions, US state spokesman John Kirby appealed to Saudi Arabia’s government to respect and protect human rights, and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings.
In the message directed at King Salman, the US urged the Saudi government to permit peaceful expression of dissent. Kirby also called on leaders in the neighbouring states to double down on efforts to reduce regional tensions.
Meanwhile some have raised concerns that global oil prices could spike if the tension between the two countries is allowed to persist.
Motorists across the world have enjoyed the falling price of oil which saw a 35 per cent drop by the end of 2015. Many experts are tipping it to either stay put or decrease further but as Quartz points out, if the unrest continues and violence breaks out in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, such a scenario could bring about an early price rise.
The Eastern Province is the location of most of the country’s richest oilfields as well as being home to most of its Shia minority. Instability in the area would likely result in global traders hedging their bets on a spike in oil prices.
Saudi Arabia is the West’s longest standing and most solid ally among the Arabic countries in the Middle East, but the relationship with the oil-rich kingdom is a difficult one to defend for US leaders, largely thanks to the violent brand of Islamic wahhabism practised in the country.
But thanks to the actions of the inexperienced and hard-nosed King Salman, the relationship just got a whole lot more awkward.
A Bahraini protester holds a picture of Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a rally denouncing his execution by Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Daih, Bahrain. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)Source:AP
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