Sheikh Nimr Execution Plot to Create Religious Rift

Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi slammed Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as a scheme to foment Shiite-Sunni split, which he said the US and Israel knew about beforehand.

The US and the Israeli regime seem to be pleased about the controversy caused by Saudi Arabia’s crime of executing Sheikh Nimr, since they seek friction between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said on Monday morning.

The senior Iranian cleric likened Al Saud’s measure to the activities of the ISIL terrorist group, which wrongly refers to the religious teachings to commit heinous crimes.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr, among dozens of others.

The execution has ignited widespread international condemnation, from both political and religious figures.

In the early hours of Sunday, furious demonstrators in the Iranian cities of Tehran and Mashhad stormed Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic buildings in protest at the Al Saud’s execution of the popular cleric.

The incident has worsened strained ties between Tehran and Riyadh, with Saudi Arabia severing diplomatic relations with Iran on Monday and giving the Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the kingdom.