Iran says Saudi strike hits embassy in Yemen; no damage seen

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran on Thursday accused a Saudi-led coalition of hitting its embassy in Yemen in an airstrike and even though no damage was visible on the building from the outside, the allegation highlighted how the two countries’ standoff could endanger the greater Middle East.

Hours later, in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Shiite heartland, a memorial service was held honoring Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution Saturday by the kingdom sparked regional protests culminating in attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran.

While armored personnel carriers rumbled through the area and smoke from burning tires rose into the air, the service for the cleric who advocated for Shiite rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom passed without violence. But anger could be felt in the hall, as videos showed mourners shouting: “Death to the Al Saud,” a reference to the royal family.

The airstrike claim by Iran came Thursday, when its state-run news agency said a Saudi-led airstrike the previous night had hit the Iranian Embassy in Sanaa, citing Iran’s Foreign Ministry. However, an Associated Press reporter who reached the site just after the announcement saw no damage to the building, which sits in a neighborhood that’s seen many previous strikes.

Iran vowed to file a report about their claim to the United Nations, while the Saudi military issued a statement through the kingdom’s state news agency dismissing the allegation as false.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, was later quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying a Saudi “rocket hit near our embassy and one of the embassy guards was seriously injured.”

Earlier, IRNA had said shrapnel hit a wall of the embassy and injured several staff there.

Meanwhile, the Saudi deputy crown prince said he didn’t believe war would break out with Iran.

“It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind,” Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister and 30-year-old son of King Salman, told the Economist magazine. “Because a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a major catastrophe in the region. … For sure we will not allow any such thing.”

The diplomatic standoff between Iran and Saudi Arabia began Saturday, when the kingdom executed al-Nimr and 46 others convicted of terror charges – the largest mass execution it has carried out since 1980. Al-Nimr was a staunch critic of the Saudi government and demanded greater rights for the kingdom’s Shiite population, but always denied advocating violence.

Iranian protesters responded by attacking the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. Saudi Arabia announced Sunday it was severing relations with Iran because of the assaults.

Also Thursday, Iran banned the import of goods from Saudi Arabia, according to a report by Iranian state television.

In other developments, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir arrived in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, for meetings with Pakistani leaders.