SAUDI ARABIA announced Sunday it was severing diplomatic relations with Shiite powerhouse Iran amid escalating tensions over the Sunni kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

    The move came hours after protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and followed harsh criticism by Iran’s top leader of the Saudis’ execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

    Bahrain also announced yesterday it was severing diplomatic relations with Iran and urged its nationals working in the mission to leave the country in 48 hours.

    Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Iranian diplomatic personnel had 48 hours to leave his country and all Saudi diplomatic personnel in Iran had been called home.

    The mass execution of al-Nimr and 46 others laid bare the sectarian divisions gripping the region as demonstrators took to the streets from Bahrain to Pakistan in protest. It illustrated the kingdom’s new aggressiveness under King Salman. During his reign, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen and staunchly opposed Iran.

    Al-Jubeir told a news conference that the Iranian regime has “a long record of violations of foreign diplomatic missions,” dating back to the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, and such incidents constitute “a flagrant violation of all international agreements,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

    He said Iran’s “hostile policy” was aimed “at destabilizing the region’s security,” accusing Tehran of smuggling weapons and explosives and planting terrorist cells in the kingdom and other countries in the region. He vowed that Saudi Arabia will not allow Iran “to undermine our security.”

    In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the Obama administration was aware of the Saudis’ severing of ties with Tehran.

    (SD-Agencies)