Saudis Break Diplomatic Ties With Tehran
The government of Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it is breaking diplomatic relations with Iran and asked Iranian Embassy officials to leave the country within a week.
The announcement, read on state-run television, cited several reasons for the break, including a riot by Iranians during the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca last year.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since the riots in Mecca last July, in which 402 died, and the subsequent ransacking of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. A Saudi diplomat later died of injuries sustained in that attack.
The Saudis also accused Iran of smuggling explosives into the country during the Mecca pilgrimage and of attacking Saudi shipping in the Persian Gulf.
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