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Saudis Cut Ties With Iran, Expel Envoys

Diplomats have 48 hours to leave amid execution feud.

Saudi Arabia set a 48-hour deadline Sunday for Iranian diplomats to leave the kingdom as tensions continued to escalate over the Saudi execution of a top Shia Muslim cleric. Early Monday, Bahrain, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates joined Riyadh in severing diplomatic ties with Iran after protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The protests followed the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others over terror-related offenses Saturday. Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of using the protests “as an excuse to fuel the tensions.” In response, Iran’s supreme leader appeared to escalate the confrontation. “Iranian nation must act against enemy’s will and punch at enemy’s mouth,” Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted.