Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Sistani condemns Nimr execution as 'unjust aggression'

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(Reporting Stephen Kalin and by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Alison Williams) Jan. 3, 2016 6:28 AM ET Iran, Saudi step up war of words over executed Shiite cleric By AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES Iranian security stand guard to protect Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, Iran, while a group of demonstrators gathered to protest execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) The Latest: Iranian president condemns Saudi Embassy attack Jan. 3, 2016 5:52 AM ET The Latest: Protesters enter Saudi embassy in Iran Jan. 2, 2016 7:01 PM ET Influential Shiite cleric among 47 executed in Saudi Arabia Jan. 2, 2016 5:59 PM ET India air force base attack leaves 4 gunmen, 2 troops dead Jan. 2, 2016 4:32 PM ET NEWS GUIDE: Saudi execution of Shiite leader stokes tensions Jan. 2, 2016 3:26 PM ET Buy AP Photo Reprints TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's top leader on Sunday warned Saudi Arabia of "divine revenge" over the execution of an opposition Shiite cleric while Riyadh accused Tehran of supporting terrorism, escalating a war of words hours after protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. It was largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades. Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across the region. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the execution Sunday in a statement on his website, saying al-Nimr "neither invited people to take up arms nor hatched covert plots. The only thing he did was public criticism." Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saudi Arabia's "medieval act of savagery" in executing the cleric would lead to the "downfall" of the country's monarchy. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said that by condemning the execution, Iran had "revealed its true face represented in support for terrorism." The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, accused Tehran of "blind sectarianism" and said that "by its defense of terrorist acts" Iran is a "partner in their crimes in the entire region." Al-Nimr was convicted of terrorism charges but denied ever advocating violence. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, and support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting "terrorism" in part because it backs Syrian rebel groups, while Riyadh points to Iran's support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and other Shiite militant groups in the region. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Saudi envoy in Tehran to protest, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry later said it had summoned Iran's envoy to the kingdom to protest Iran's criticism of the execution, saying it represented "blatant interference" in its internal affairs. In Tehran, the crowd gathered outside the Saudi Embassy early Sunday and chanted anti-Saudi slogans. Some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, setting off a fire in part of the building, said the country's top police official, Gen. Hossein Sajedinia, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He later said police had removed the protesters from the building and arrested some of them, adding that the situation had been "defused." Hours later, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said 40 people had been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the embassy attack and investigators were pursuing other suspects, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while condemning Saudi Arabia's execution of al-Nimr, also branded those who attacked the Saudi Embassy as "extremists." "It is unjustifiable," he said in a statement. The cleric's execution could also complicate Saudi Arabia's relationship with the Shiite-led government in Iraq. The Saudi Embassy in Baghdad is preparing to formally reopen for the first time in nearly 25 years. Already on Saturday there were public calls for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to shut the embassy down again. Al-Abadi tweeted Saturday night that he was "shocked and saddened" by al-Nimr's execution, adding that "peaceful opposition is a fundamental right. Repression does not last." On Sunday, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called al-Nimr a martyr and said his blood and that of other Shiite protesters "was unjustly and aggressively shed." Hundreds of al-Nimr's supporters also protested in his hometown of al-Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, in neighboring Bahrain where police fired tear gas and bird shot, and as far away as northern India. The last time Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution on this scale was in 1980, when the kingdom executed 63 people convicted over the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Extremists held the mosque, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba toward which Muslims around the world pray, for two weeks as they demanded the royal family abdicate the throne. Also Sunday, the BBC reported that one of the 47 executed in Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Dhubaiti, was convicted over a 2004 attack on its journalists in Riyadh. That attack by a gang outside of the home of a suspected al-Qaida militant killed 36-year-old Irish cameraman Simon Cumbers. British reporter Frank Gardner, now the BBC's security correspondent, was seriously wounded in the attack and paralyzed, but survived. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Joseph Krauss and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad, contributed to this report. =============================================================================================================== Sun Jan 3, 2016 | 9:53 AM EST Iraq's Sistani condemns Nimr execution, Sadr organizes protests Iraq's Sistani condemns Nimr execution, Sadr organ. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Sunday condemned the execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia while another leading cleric said he was organizing demonstrations in Baghdad and the southern city of Najaf. Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia executed Nimr and three other Shi'ite Muslims alongside dozens of al Qaeda members on Saturday, drawing protests from Shi'ite-majority Iraq and other countries around the world against the kingdom's ruling Al Saud family. "We have received with much sorrow and regret the news of the martyrdom of a number of our brother believers in the region whose pure blood was shed in an unjust aggression," Sistani said in a letter addressed to the population of Saudi Arabia's eastern Qatif region where Nimr used to preach. The opinion of Sistani, based in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf south of Baghdad, carries weight with millions of Shi'ites in Iraq and elsewhere. Moqtada al-Sadr, an anti-American Shi'ite leader, called for "angry demonstrations" on Monday in Najaf and at the gate of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone where the Saudi embassy is located. Saudi Arabia reopened its Baghdad embassy last week after closing it in 1990 following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, but Nimr's execution sparked calls from prominent religious and political figures to reverse the recent rapprochement with Riyadh. Iraq's foreign ministry also condemned Nimr's execution, warning in a statement on Sunday that "it will not benefit stability in the region nor peace between the region's peoples". (Reporting by Stephen Kalin, Maher; Chmaytelli and Thaier al-Sudani; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Powell) ===================================================================================== Sun Jan 3, 2016 | 6:48 PM EST Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran as row over cleric's death escalates 9:28 AM EST | 01:39 Anger fumes in Iran over Saudi execution of Shi'ite cleric Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran as row over cleri.. By Sam Wilkin and Angus McDowall DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran on Sunday, responding to the storming of its embassy in Tehran in an escalating row between the rival Middle East powers over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference in Riyadh that the envoy of Shi'ite Iran had been asked to quit Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. The kingdom, he said, would not allow the Islamic republic to undermine its security. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Shi'ite Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted "divine vengeance" for the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Al Saudi family. Jubeir said the attack in Tehran was in line with what he said were earlier Iranian assaults on foreign embassies there and with Iranian policies of destabilizing the region by creating "terrorist cells" in Saudi Arabia. "The kingdom, in light of these realities, announces the cutting of diplomatic relations with Iran and requests the departure of delegates of diplomatic missions of the embassy and consulate and offices related to it within 48 hours. The ambassador has been summoned to notify them," he said. Speaking on Iranian state television, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Tehran's first response that by cutting diplomatic ties, Riyadh could not cover up "its major mistake of executing Sheikh Nimr". The United States, Saudi Arabia's biggest backer in the West, responded by encouraging diplomatic engagement and calling for leaders in the region to take "affirmative steps" to reduce tensions. "We believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations remain essential in working through differences and we will continue to urge leaders across the region to take affirmative steps to calm tensions," an official of President Barack Obama's administration said. Tensions between revolutionary, mainly Shi'ite Iran and Saudi Arabia's conservative Sunni monarchy have run high for years as they backed opposing forces in wars and political conflicts across the Middle East, usually along sectarian lines. However, Saturday's execution of a cleric whose death Iran had warned would "cost Saudi Arabia dearly", and the storming of the kingdom's Tehran embassy, raised the pitch of the rivalry. Strong rhetoric from Tehran was matched by Iran's Shi'ite allies across the region, with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese militia Hezbollah, describing the execution as "a message of blood". Moqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shi'ite cleric, called for angry protests. Demonstrators protesting against the execution of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, broke into the embassy building, smashed furniture and started fires before being ejected by police. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani condemned the execution as "inhuman", but also urged the prosecution of "extremist individuals" for attacking the embassy and the Saudi consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad, state media reported. Fact Box Troubled history of Iran-Saudi relations 'Enough is enough,' source familiar with Saudi thinking says Tehran's police chief said an unspecified number of "unruly elements" were arrested for attacking the embassy with petrol bombs and rocks. A prosecutor said 40 people were held. "The unjustly spilled blood of this oppressed martyr will no doubt soon show its effect and divine vengeance will befall Saudi politicians," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran's state television. PROTESTS Nimr, the most vocal critic of the dynasty among the Shi'ite minority, had come to be seen as a leader of the sect's younger activists, who had tired of the failure of older, more measured, leaders to achieve equality with Sunnis. His execution, along with three other Shi'ites and 43 members of Al Qaeda, sparked angry protests in the Qatif region in eastern Saudi Arabia, where demonstrators denounced the ruling Al Saud dynasty, and in the nearby Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. Relatives of Nimr, reached by telephone, said authorities had informed them that the body had been buried "in a cemetery of Muslims" and would not be handed over to the family. Although most of the 47 men killed in the kingdom's biggest mass execution for decades were Sunnis convicted of al Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago, it was Nimr and three other Shi'ites, all accused of involvement in shooting police, who attracted most attention in the region and beyond. RELATED VIDEO Video 01:50 Thousands march across the world against Saudi execution of cleric Video 00:49 Clinton says Saudi beheading of Shite cleric will inflame tensions Video 00:47 Protesters set fire to Saudi embassy in Iran Khamenei's website carried a picture of a Saudi executioner next to notorious Islamic State executioner 'Jihadi John', with the caption "Any differences?". The Revolutionary Guards said "harsh revenge" would topple "this pro-terrorist, anti-Islamic regime". Saudi Arabia on Saturday summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest what it described as hostile remarks emerging from Tehran. On Sunday, Riyadh's Gulf allies the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain also summoned Tehran's envoys to their countries to lodge complaints. IRAQ ALSO FURIOUS In Iraq, whose Shi'ite-led government is close to Iran, religious and political figures demanded that ties with Riyadh be severed, calling into question Saudi attempts to forge a regional alliance against Islamic State, which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria. Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani described the executions as an "unjust aggression". The opinion of Sistani, based in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf south of Baghdad, carries weight with millions of Shi'ites in Iraq and across the region, including in Saudi Arabia. Despite the focus on Nimr, the executions seemed mostly aimed at discouraging jihadism in Saudi Arabia, where dozens have died in the past year in attacks by Sunni militants. Iran deputy foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian says Saudi Arabia cannot cover up mistake of executing a religious figure by announcing cutting of diplomatic ties - Fars news agency via @Reuters Related Coverage Saudi mass execution driven by fear of Sunni militancy EU warns new Mideast tension risks Syria peace effort But Saudi Arabia's Western allies, many of whom supply it with arms, are growing concerned about its new assertiveness. The U.S. State Department said Nimr's execution "risks exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced", a sentiment echoed by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. The State Department also urged Saudi Arabia to respect and protect human rights. France said on Sunday it deeply deplored the mass execution and said it reiterated its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. In Istanbul, hundreds of protesters, some carrying pictures of Nimr and chanting "Saudi Arabia will pay the price", gathered outside its consulate on Sunday as riot police stood guard. The four Shi'ites had been convicted of involvement in shootings and petrol bomb attacks that killed several police during anti-government protests from 2011-13. More than 20 Shi'ites were shot dead by the authorities in those protests. Family members of the executed Shi'ites have denied they were involved in attacks and said they were only peaceful protesters against sectarian discrimination. Human rights groups say the kingdom's judicial process is unfair, pointing to accusations that confessions have been secured under torture and that defendants in court have been denied access to lawyers. Riyadh denies torture and says its judiciary is independent. (Additional reporting by Sami Aboudi, Sam Wilkin, Noah Browning, Omar Fahmy, Katie Paul, Dubai newsroom, Michel Rose in Paris, Stephen Kalin in Baghdad, Laila Bassam in Beirut, Hamdi Istanbullu in Istanbul, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and Jeff Mason in Washington; Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Richard Balmforth) =================================================== US behind every Saudi act of aggression: William Spring Sun Jan 3, 2016 4:31PM PressTv User US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir at the New York Palace Hotel on December 17, 2015. (AFP photo) Press TV has interviewed human rights activist William Spring in London to discuss Saudi Arabia’s latest operations in Yemen as well as the recent execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. What follows is a rough transcription of the interview: Press TV: So we have Saudi Arabia dominating news headlines around the world for all the wrong reasons, this time the war in Yemen. 7,400 have been killed so far. There was a truce supposedly, but this truce was already violated numerous times. What’s the point of Saudi Arabia declaring an end to the ceasefire when they never respected it in the first place? Spring: The so-called ceasefire was merely a cosmetic exercise probably to keep the United Nations happy or something. Saudi Arabia does not have the slightest interest in any peaceful settlement with any problem, anywhere in the world and it is now locating itself in an even more proto-fascist state. This is the same on the other side of the coin. On the one hand the assassination of 47 people in Riyadh or in Qatif, which is not judicial at all, it is just a flagrant assassination, and on the other hand, you have got totalitarian war being pursued by a state that seems to have no real common sense. Now, obviously as I have said before on this program, the amazing thing is the attitude of the world community, so-called, in particular Great Britain, as it once was, Great Britain and the British Foreign Secretary [Philip Hammond] have supported the aggression in Yemen right from day one. Now what does he think that he is gaining by this? I can’t see it at all. I can’t see any respect for European nations if the European nations failed to condemn the attacks on Yemen, which have killed so many thousands of civilians. The basic situation in international law is that there should not be interference in the internal affairs of another state and this is exactly what Saudi Arabia is doing. A civil war of sorts was going on in Yemen and Saudi Arabia decided to use all its American firepower and what it had gotten from the British and French and so on to crush these people and now the Yemenis are not exactly the world’s most aggressive individuals. They have been a wonderful society for many years. Anyone who fights them tends to be a loser. I am old enough to remember the British in Aden and how we got out of there as soon as we could, after leaving a lot of dead behind, British dead. I think the Saudis, is they got any sense, which they don’t appear to have, will eventually realize that their bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, is causing an imperishable stain on their national honor, if you can even speak of national honor. When a country such as Saudi Arabia executes so many people in this staged Trotsky-type of bloodletting, when I say Trotsky I got in mind the assassination of Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940 by Joseph Stalin and this is exactly has been done to this [Shia] cleric [Sheikh] Nimr al-Nimr. He has been a voice against the Saudi occupation of Bahrain, which was engineered by the United States. Robert Gates went down to see the Saudis and the next day the Saudis went over the course way. This is not aggression only by the Saudis. It is an aggression by the United States government and the US has supported every single act of aggression Saudi Arabia engaged in and this is not the only case and their state department made comments on the execution of al-Nimr. It is quite disgusting. I think the Americans and the British and the French, who claim to have democratic credentials, who claim that they are high-minded, moralistic, should be ashamed of themselves. There is nothing more you can say about it. It’s just an international standard, the extent in which we suck up to the Saudis simply because they got some oil and we have had contracts with the Saudi monarchy such as the al-Yamamah project and these sorts of things. Why is Britain backing this tyrannical, evil, aggressive, totalitarian, pro-Nazi regime in Riyadh? We should be completely disassociating ourselves from these people. The king and his royal family, his innumerable henchmen, is not to be put on the pinnacle and everybody else just decide when we will ... out to the Saudis. There is no value in that policy.