Qatar Calls Back Its Ambassador from Iran Amid Arab Wave

Qatar, continuing the Arab wave and in protest against the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, recalled its ambassador from Iran on Wednesday, January 6. According to the Qatari state news agency (QNA) and quoting Ibrahim Abdulrahman Al-Hamr, the Director General of Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Doha 'recalled its ambassador from Tehran in protest against the attack on the Saudi embassy.' The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in a statement on Monday, calling it a 'clear violation of conventions and international laws.' The statement also expressed support for 'Saudi efforts to counter threats faced by itself and the region.' This statement refers to the execution of 47 convicts in 'terrorism cases' in Saudi Arabia, most of whom were accused of being members of Al-Qaeda. However, four of them were Shiites, with Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a Shiite cleric close to the Islamic Republic of Iran, being the most well-known. The execution of Nimr sparked a wave of protests among Shiites in the region. In Iran, protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Following this attack, Saudi Arabia severed its political and economic relations with Iran. Bahrain, Sudan, and Djibouti also cut their diplomatic ties with Iran after Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates downgraded its diplomatic relations with Tehran to the level of chargé d'affaires. Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors from Iran but did not mention changes in the level of diplomatic relations with Tehran. Jordan also summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Amman to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, requested in a letter to Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, for an immediate and prioritized investigation into the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate. Rouhani also described the attack on Saudi diplomatic sites in Tehran and Mashhad as a 'wrong and illegal' act during a cabinet meeting, urging the Ministries of Intelligence and Interior to 'take decisive action against officials who may have been negligent in this incident' and to report it to the public. Previously, in a statement on Sunday, January 3, Rouhani had called the execution of Sheikh Nimr an 'inhumane act that is in clear contradiction with human rights and Islamic values' and expressed condolences for his 'martyrdom.' Meanwhile, Iraq proposed mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resolve the recent crisis between the two countries.