Djibouti Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Iran

According to Al Arabiya, Djibouti severed its diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday, January 6. Jordan also summoned the Iranian ambassador to its Foreign Ministry on the same day. Previously, following Saudi Arabia's severance of ties with Iran, Djibouti issued a strong statement against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites in Tehran and Mashhad. Djibouti is a very small country with an area of about 23,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 820,000. Due to its geographical location, it is considered a strategic country located in northeastern Africa, next to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. The United States and France have significant military bases in this country. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, visited Djibouti in 2008, and the IRNA news agency reported the signing of several important economic and commercial agreements during this visit. The establishment of a technical and vocational center in Djibouti, granting loans to the banks of this country, and providing scholarships to Djiboutian students in Iran were among the signed documents. Seven months later, when Manouchehr Mottaki, the then Foreign Minister, visited Djibouti, it became clear that Iran was also responsible for constructing the National Assembly (Parliament) building of Djibouti. Recently, in protest against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites, Bahrain and Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Tehran. Kuwait recalled its ambassador from Iran, and the UAE reduced its diplomatic relations with Iran. Tensions between Iran and Arab countries in the region have increased following intensified protests against the execution of Shia cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, leading to group attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran. Meanwhile, Jordan's state news agency reported that officials from its Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador in protest against the recent attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The news agency also reported that during this summoning, Jordan protested against what it called Iranian interference in Arab countries' affairs. The Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, along with 54 Iranian diplomats, returned to Tehran on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia announced the severance of relations with Iran on Monday and gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave its territory. Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic sites. Hassan Rouhani, in a letter to Sadeq Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, called for immediate and expedited handling of the case regarding the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate.