A tidal wave of Iranian fury over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shi’ite cleric crashed over Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran early Sunday.
Raging Iranian demonstrators stormed the embassy, smashing furniture and torching the building, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.
The fury came in response to Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday. The cleric was executed together with 46 other suspects accused of terrorism, mostly alleged members of Al Qaeda.
Iran warned the cleric’s execution would “cost Saudi Arabia dearly.” The Revolutionary Guards Corps vowed “harsh revenge” against “this pro-terrorist, Islamic regime” for its execution of Nimr.
The cleric was admired in Iran as a champion of Shi’ite minority rights. Nimr was a vocal critic of the Saudi dynasty and was perceived as a leader of the younger generation of Shi’ite activists who had lost patience with older leaders.
In addition to Nimr, three other Shi’ites were also executed Saturday; all four were accused of involvement in shooting police.
Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia was later quoted by ISNA as saying “unruly elements” were arrested for attacking the embassy with firebombs and rocks, but there was no confirmation of the claim.
Iran’s foreign ministry also issued a statement calling for calm after photos were posted on Twitter showing parts of the interior of the embassy completely destroyed. The ministry urged “protesters” to “respect” the premises, but it wasn’t clear how much was left to “respect.”