Saudi remains silent about Iranian threats

Saudi Arabia has yet to issue an official statement following comments made by Iran regarding the death sentence on Shia Saudi Shaikh Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr.

Saudi media outlets have not referenced the incident in any way which, political media professor at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Khalid Al-Farm said can be explained by the fact the comments were not made by an official Iranian political or governmental source.

Al-Farm believes this means that it is highly unlikely that the comments will affect relations between the two countries.

In his interview with Arabi21, Al-Farm said that there are greater issues facing the region than Al-Nimr’s case and emphasised that these outstanding issues are of great importance to both Saudi Arabia and Iran alike.

According Waheed Hashem, associate professor of political science at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi could not care less about Iranian comments, as “they are fully aware that international law is on their side and this is a case that affects the Saudi interior”. Hashem urged Iran to distance itself from this issue and to avoid any further interference.

Hashem, a former member of the Saudi Shura Council, accused Al-Nimr of jeopardising the Kingdom’s security by collaborating on security matters with Iran.

He encouraged the Iranian government to invest in the positive atmosphere that currently exists between the two countries rather than preoccupying itself with matters such as Al-Nimr’s trial.

Last Wednesday, local Saudi websites and the Twitter pages of local activists announced that Al-Nimr had been sentenced to death by a specialist criminal court after a series of hearings.