Saudi summons Iran envoy over 'aggressive' Tehran statement

Saudi Arabia summoned Iran's envoy to protest an "aggressive" statement by Tehran on the Saturday execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, the  foreign ministry said.

The ministry "handed the Iranian ambassador... a stern protest letter over the aggressive Iranian statements on the legal sentences carried out today against terrorists in the kingdom," said a statement published by the official SPA news agency.

Riyadh expressed its "complete rejection of these aggressive statements, which it considers a flagrant interference in the kingdom's affairs".

It also held the "Iranian government completely responsible for protecting" the kingdom's missions in Iran and all their employees from any "aggressive acts".

Nimr al-Nimr, who spent more than a decade studying theology in Iran ,was among a group of 47 Shiites and Sunnis executed Saturday for "terrorism".

Shia-dominated Iran said in reaction to Nimr's execution that "the Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution."

It will "pay a high price for following these policies," said foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari.

Photo: Saudi Shia women (front) and men (back) take part in a protest in the eastern coastal city of Qatif against the execution of prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities (AFP/ Yahoo)