Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says diplomatic tensions over the execution of a prominent cleric could be eased if Iran — the most vocal critic of the killing — ratchets down the rhetoric, NBC News reported.
"Very simple: Iran should back off, stop being aggressive, stop interfering, stop supporting terrorism," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday when asked how to resolve the escalating crisis.
The war of words has intensified between the two Middle East powers after the kingdom on Saturday executed 47 prisoners, including Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Iran, a Shiite Muslim-dominated nation, has condemned the actions of Saudi Arabia, which is predominantly Sunni.
Iranians stormed the Saudi embassy in Iran's capital of Tehran over the weekend, prompting Saudi Arabia to pull its diplomats from the country and cut ties with the Islamic republic.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan broke all ties with Iran, and the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations. Kuwait, meanwhile, recalled its ambassador to Iran on Tuesday.
