US Asks Iran to Show Restraint over Saudi Execution of Sheikh Nimr: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Iran to exercise restraint and avoid retaliation over Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other people, media reports said.
Kerry, from his home in Idaho, spoke Sunday with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and called on Iran to take steps toward de-escalating the growing tensions between the two countries, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesman John Kirby on Sunday called for dialogue between Tehran and Riyadh and said, “We believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations remain essential in working through differences and we will continue to urge leaders across the region to take affirmative steps to calm tensions.”
Saudi Arabia’s execution of 47 prisoners, including Sheikh Nimr, on Saturday drew global condemnation.
The executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. The bodies were then hanged from gibbets in the most severe form of punishment available in the kingdom's law.
Sheikh Nimr had been detained in July 2012 on charges of delivering anti-regime speeches and defending political prisoners.