Iran says Saudi Arabia must stop 'adding fuel to the fire'

Iran has warned Saudi Arabia to stop “adding fuel to the fire” as the diplomatic crisis between the two countries continues, with Djibouti the latest country to cut ties with Tehran and Qatar recalling its ambassador.

With Iranian diplomats arriving home after being told to leave Saudi Arabia, Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Riyadh must stop working against his country’s efforts.

Citing longstanding differences that became a full-blown split after Saudi Arabiaexecuted the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Sunni-ruled kingdom had sought to inflict damage systematically.

“For the past two and a half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran’s diplomacy,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement.

Zarif also accused Riyadh of “taking measures against the Iranian people” through its efforts to keep oil prices low.

“This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united … and stop those who are adding fuel to the fire,” he added.

Djibouti became the latest country to sever diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday, while Qatar recalled its ambassador to Iran. 

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran on Sunday after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran. Bahrain and Sudan followed suit, while Kuwait has recalled its envoy to Iran and the United Arab Emirates has downgraded diplomatic relations.

Jordan summoned Iran’s ambassador in Amman on Wednesday to condemn the attack by protesters on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and “Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Arab states”, the state news agency Petra said.Iraq has dispatched its foreign minister to Tehran with an offer to mediate in the feud, reflecting Baghdad’s fears that new sectarian conflict could unravel its campaign against Islamic State. 

Iraq, where a Shia-led government is urgently trying to reach out to minority Sunnis as it seeks to retake territory controlled by Isis militants, is particularly vulnerable to any upsurge in anger between the Muslim sects.

Powerful Iran-backed Shia militia called on the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi – a Shia Muslim who has staked his credibility on efforts to reconcile with Sunnis – to shut a Saudi embassy that reopened only last month after decades of strained ties. Thousands of Shias rallied in central Baghdad on Wednesday chanting slogans against the Saudi ruling family.

There was no immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia to the Iraqi mediation offer. 

Meanwhile, Bahrain claimed to have caught an Iranian-linked cell plotting attacks on its territory.

The state news agency BNA reported: “A secret terrorist plot aided by the so-called Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Hezbollah terrorist organisation was foiled.

“It targeted the security of the kingdom of Bahrain by [plotting to] carry out a series of dangerous bombings.”