NEED TO KNOW:
Lest we forget that Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals, they are back at it and fiercer than ever this weekend.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shia cleric named Nimr al-Nimr, who led anti-government protests in 2011, along with 46 others (mostly Sunnis) labeled as terrorists within the kingdom.
The move appears to be designed to stoke Sunni-Shia tensions and shows that Sunni Saudi Arabia is taking a more provocative stance toward Shia Iran than it has in the past.
Just hours after news of the executions was made public, protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran as well as the consulate in Mashhad. This morning, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swore “divine vengeance” against its enemy.
Riyadh slapped back that Iran’s vitriol shows its “true face” in support of terrorism.
But it’s more than a war of words. What’s really at stake has to do with Syria and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Iran back opposite sides of each conflict.
Renewed tensions between two Middle East powerhouses does not bode well for the battle field.
*** Sam Kephart *** Is a former US Senate Candidate and Life and Liberty News contributor
