Rafsanjani: Attacks on Diplomatic Sites Escalate Regional Crises

Following the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, stated on Sunday, January 3, that attacks on diplomatic sites increase tensions in the region. According to ISNA, Rafsanjani condemned the attack on the Saudi consulate and embassy, emphasizing the need for cooperation among all Islamic countries to end war, bloodshed, and tension in the Islamic world. He noted that every phenomenon requires a logical and appropriate solution, and that extremist actions and attacks on diplomatic sites, along with destruction and violence, complicate the path and escalate regional crises. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric, along with 46 others. The execution sparked widespread reactions in Iran and several regional countries. Protests were held in Tehran and Mashhad against the execution of Sheikh Nimr, during which some participants entered the Saudi embassy and consulate premises, setting parts of these diplomatic sites on fire. Hours after Rafsanjani's statements, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing relations with Iran and demanded that Iranian diplomats leave the country within 48 hours. Criticism of President Rouhani's stance on the attack on the Saudi embassy came from two Iranian parliament members and several conservative media outlets, who claimed that the 'weak diplomacy' of Rouhani's government towards Saudi Arabia was the 'main factor' behind the attack on the embassy. According to Fars News Agency, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, a conservative parliament member, stated that it was inappropriate for the president to mention the events in Tehran and Mashhad in an official statement regarding the martyrdom of a cleric. He added that it would have been better for the president to give related orders separately and confidentially to the ministers. Mehr News Agency criticized that a large part of Rouhani's message condemning the execution of Sheikh Nimr was dedicated to the attack on the Saudi embassy. Meanwhile, Mehdi Hashemi, a member of the conservative faction in parliament, attributed the attack on the Saudi embassy to the ineffectiveness of Rouhani's government's diplomacy. He emphasized that if Rouhani's government had taken the execution of Sheikh Nimr more seriously, perhaps measures could have been taken to prevent his execution and the subsequent attack on the Saudi embassy. The website Jahan News, affiliated with conservative parliament member Alireza Zakani, stated that the 'weak diplomacy' of Rouhani's government regarding the Mina incident has created an 'increasing sense of hatred' towards the Saudi government and the attack on its embassy. The website cited the rejection of Iran's foreign minister's request for a meeting by the Saudi foreign minister and Rouhani's failure to return to Iran from the UN summit after the Mina incident as signs of the government's 'weak diplomacy.' President Rouhani, in a message condemning the execution of Sheikh Nimr, also stated that the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad is 'absolutely unjustifiable' and 'an insult to the system.' Hossein Sobhaninia, deputy chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the parliament, described the attack on the Saudi embassy and consulate as 'incorrect and hasty,' stating that 'any emotional action that does not consider national interests has many consequences and costs for the country.' According to the House of Representatives news agency, Haidarpoor, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also deemed the action 'inappropriate.' Meanwhile, Zargham Sadeqi, a member of the parliamentary board, stated that protests against the execution of Sheikh Nimr should not serve as a 'pretext for undermining the Islamic Republic.' Kamal al-Din Pir-Mo'een, a member of the faction of the followers of the Wilayat, reacted to the incident by saying that 'the expansion of extremist currents and known individuals and self-styled groups against the government and the nation has no end' and 'causes significant harm to the interests of the nation.' Abbas Jafari Dolat Abadi, Tehran's prosecutor, reported that 40 individuals involved in entering the embassy building have been identified and arrested, and investigations to identify other individuals involved in the incident are ongoing. Meanwhile, according to IRNA, Hossein Ali Amiri, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, announced that the Minister of Interior has instructed his security deputy and the governor of Tehran to prepare, organize, and complete the file on the perpetrators of this incident 'with determination' and submit it to the judiciary.