White House presses for Iran and Saudi Arabia to ‘show restraint’

The White House on Monday urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to avoid escalating the tensions that flared over the weekend after the Saudis executed a well-known Shiite cleric. 

“We do continue to be concerned about the need for both the Iranians and the Saudis to deescalate the situation in the Middle East,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “We are urging all sides to show restraint and to not inflame the tensions that have been on display in the region.” 

{mosads}Secretary of State John Kerry has relayed American concerns directly to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, while other U.S. diplomats have sent the message to top Saudi officials, according to Earnest. 

President Obama has not personally contacted the leaders of both countries but is “aware of the situation,” the spokesman said. 

Aside from the danger posed by a growing rift between the two regional powers, U.S. officials fear the antagonism could spill over to other conflicts in the region, including the Syrian civil war and the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

“We are hopeful that it won’t,” Earnest said. “It is so clearly in the interests of both parties to advance a political solution to the situation inside of Syria. 

Saudi Arabia over the weekend executed Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite leader who has been critical of Saudi monarchs, along with dozens of other people the country deemed to be terrorists. The incident sparked outrage in Iran and other Shia-majority countries. 

Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and a consulate in the city of Marshhad, smashing windows and lighting fires. 

In response, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-majority states in the Middle East broke off formal diplomatic relations with Iran. 

“Enough is enough,” a Saudi source told Reuters. “Again and again Tehran has thumbed their nose at the West. They continue to sponsor terrorism and launch ballistic missiles and no one is doing anything about it.”