Iran warns Saudi to stop 'adding fuel to fire'

Iran today warned Saudi Arabia to stop working against it as their diplomatic crisis intensified despite efforts to defuse a row that has raised fears of regional instability.
In the latest salvo in a dispute that has seen Saudi Arabia and some of its Sunni Arab allies cut ties with Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Riyadh must end its prolonged efforts to confront Iran.
"For the past two-and-a-half years, Saudi Arabia has opposed Iran's diplomacy," Zarif said at a joint press conference in Tehran with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
"Saudi Arabia has moved against our efforts and, unfortunately, they opposed the nuclear agreement," Zarif said.

"This trend of creating tension must stop. We need to stand united... And stop those who are adding fuel to the fire."
The spike in tensions comes after Iran last year secured a historic nuclear deal with world powers led by the United States, causing major concern in longtime US ally Riyadh.

The row between Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, and Shiite-dominated Iran erupted following Riyadh's execution on Saturday of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
His death sparked Shiite demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom's consulate in second city Mashhad.

Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by several of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran and Kuwait recalled its ambassador.
The row has raised fears of an increase in sectarian tensions in the Middle East that could derail efforts to resolve pressing issues including the wars in Syria and Yemen.
The United Nations and Western governments have expressed deep concern, urging both sides to reduce tensions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has made repeated calls to both Iranian and Saudi leaders.
"He is urging calm. He is stressing the need for dialogue and engagement, and thirdly, reminding that, again, there's lots of work to be done in the region," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington yesterday.

"It's important to work though that tension, work though those disagreements, so that we can all work harder together on other issues which are affecting the Middle East writ large," he said.
Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran is crucial in resolving a range of issues in the Middle East, where they are often on opposing sides.