The Middle East hurtled toward a regional conflict after Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric earlier in the week, sparking protests throughout the region. In short order, demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and Saudi Arabia responded by cutting diplomatic relations with Iran, a move followed by several Saudi allies.
Caught off-guard on a holiday weekend, U.S. and Western officials are now appealing for calm, worried that the hostile rhetoric could escalate to something beyond a diplomatic dustup.
“We’re urging all sides to show some restraint and to not further inflame tensions that are on quite vivid display in the region,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday. Read more…
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