Mob attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran triggered a severe diplomatic crisis and led to the severance of Saudi-Iranian relations.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 2 January 2016
- Locations targeted
- Saudi embassy in Tehran; Saudi consulate in Mashhad
- Trigger
- Execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia
- Method of attack
- Molotov cocktails and petrol bombs; building ransacked
- Arrested
- Around 100 people in custody by 24 January 2016
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shi'a cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on 2 January 2016 provoked outrage among Shi'a Muslims in Iran. Protesters mobilized to demonstrate against the Saudi government's action, directing their anger at Saudi diplomatic premises in Iran.
On 2 January 2016, mobs stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad, ransacking both buildings. The embassy was set ablaze using Molotov cocktails and petrol bombs before police arrived, dispersed the protesters, and extinguished the fire.
Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei and President Rouhani publicly condemned the attacks. Approximately 100 participants were taken into custody by 24 January. The incident contributed to Saudi Arabia severing diplomatic relations with Iran, deepening the regional sectarian and geopolitical divide.