Kuwait recalls envoy to Iran after attacks on Saudi missions
Iranian demonstrators chant slogans during a protest denouncing the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, seen in posters, in front of the Saudi Embassy, in Tehran, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. (AP Photo)Kuwait became Tuesday the latest Gulf Arab state to recall its ambassador from Iran to protest attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic.
It did not, however, expel Tehran\’s ambassador or downgrade the level of diplomatic relationship with Iran.
The announcement comes after Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Bahrain severed ties with predominantly Shiite Iran this week.
And the United Arab Emirates has recalled its ambassador and downgraded ties with the Islamic republic.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with Oman and Qatar.
The attacks "represent a flagrant breach of international agreements and norms and a grave violation of Iran\’s international commitments for the security of diplomatic missions and the safety of diplomats," the official KUNA news agency cited the foreign ministry as saying.
Kuwait has maintained good relations with Tehran despite busting in August a cell allegedly spying for Iran.
Around a third of Kuwait\’s native population of 1.3 million is Shiite.
Relations between Riyadh and Tehran were already strained over their support for opposite sides in conflicts in Syrian and Yemen, and were exacerbated over Saudi Arabia\’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
SOURCE: AFP
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