Protesters in Tehran Attack Saudi Embassy After Cleric Nemer al-Nemer Executed
Rocks and Molotov cocktails hurled at building, as demonstrators enter and cause some damage
Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nemer al-Nemer by Saudi authorities on Saturday.
Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nemer al-Nemer by Saudi authorities on Saturday.
By KAREN LEIGH And SUMMER SAID
Wall Street Journal
Jan. 2, 2016 11:23 p.m. ET
BEIRUT—A crowd protesting Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nemer al-Nemer rallied outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran late Saturday, with some demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and storming the building, Iranian media reported.
Photos posted by the semiofficial Iranian Students’ News Agency showed police in full riot gear guarding the building and firefighters dousing it. Tehran police chief Gen. Sardar Sajedinia rushed to the scene to restore calm, the agency said.
An unknown number of protesters were arrested, and none of the embassy staff were on the premises when the building was attacked, according to the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency. “Unfortunately, some [protesters] threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, which caused fire to the building,” it quoted Mr. Sajedinia as saying.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari called for calm and said there shouldn’t be more demonstrations around Saudi diplomatic premises, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. Protesters also removed the Saudi flag from its consulate in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, local news agencies reported.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted a photo to his official website late on Saturday of a Saudi executioner dressed in white, next to an image of infamous Islamic State executioner Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John. “Any differences?” the caption read.
Iran’s state news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying the execution “proves nothing but the depth of irrationality and irresponsibility of the Saudi officials.” Having previously warned that carrying out a death sentence against Mr. al-Nemer “would cost Saudi Arabia dearly,” Iran also summoned the Saudi charge d’affairs in Tehran to protest the execution.
There was no immediate public comment from the Saudi government. Its Foreign Ministry said earlier Saturday that it held Iran responsible for the protection of its embassy in Tehran, its consulate in Mashhad and their employees.
Predominantly Shiite Iran’s swift reaction to Saturday’s death of Mr. al-Nemr, a leading voice behind Shiite protests that rocked Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia beginning in 2011, suggested that it could deepen strained ties between Riyadh and Tehran.
The countries have long been rivals for power in the region and are already fighting what amounts to a proxy war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthis since last March.
Mr. al-Nemer’s execution also drew criticism from outside the Middle East.
It has the “potential of inflaming further the sectarian tensions that already bring so much damage to the entire region, with dangerous consequences,” European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Saturday. “The EU calls on the Saudi authorities to promote reconciliation between the different communities in the Kingdom, and all actors to show restraint and responsibility.”
Write to Karen Leigh at karen.leigh@wsj,com and Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com
Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nemer al-Nemer by Saudi authorities on Saturday.
Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nemer al-Nemer by Saudi authorities on Saturday.
By KAREN LEIGH And SUMMER SAID
Wall Street Journal
Jan. 2, 2016 11:23 p.m. ET
BEIRUT—A crowd protesting Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nemer al-Nemer rallied outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran late Saturday, with some demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails and storming the building, Iranian media reported.
Photos posted by the semiofficial Iranian Students’ News Agency showed police in full riot gear guarding the building and firefighters dousing it. Tehran police chief Gen. Sardar Sajedinia rushed to the scene to restore calm, the agency said.
An unknown number of protesters were arrested, and none of the embassy staff were on the premises when the building was attacked, according to the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency. “Unfortunately, some [protesters] threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, which caused fire to the building,” it quoted Mr. Sajedinia as saying.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari called for calm and said there shouldn’t be more demonstrations around Saudi diplomatic premises, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. Protesters also removed the Saudi flag from its consulate in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, local news agencies reported.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted a photo to his official website late on Saturday of a Saudi executioner dressed in white, next to an image of infamous Islamic State executioner Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John. “Any differences?” the caption read.
Iran’s state news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying the execution “proves nothing but the depth of irrationality and irresponsibility of the Saudi officials.” Having previously warned that carrying out a death sentence against Mr. al-Nemer “would cost Saudi Arabia dearly,” Iran also summoned the Saudi charge d’affairs in Tehran to protest the execution.
There was no immediate public comment from the Saudi government. Its Foreign Ministry said earlier Saturday that it held Iran responsible for the protection of its embassy in Tehran, its consulate in Mashhad and their employees.
Predominantly Shiite Iran’s swift reaction to Saturday’s death of Mr. al-Nemr, a leading voice behind Shiite protests that rocked Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia beginning in 2011, suggested that it could deepen strained ties between Riyadh and Tehran.
The countries have long been rivals for power in the region and are already fighting what amounts to a proxy war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has carried out airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthis since last March.
Mr. al-Nemer’s execution also drew criticism from outside the Middle East.
It has the “potential of inflaming further the sectarian tensions that already bring so much damage to the entire region, with dangerous consequences,” European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Saturday. “The EU calls on the Saudi authorities to promote reconciliation between the different communities in the Kingdom, and all actors to show restraint and responsibility.”
Write to Karen Leigh at karen.leigh@wsj,com and Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com
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