Saudi ally Comoros the latest to break diplomatic ties with Iran
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 16 January 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Saudi ally Comoros the latest to break diplomatic ties with Iran, 16 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c4290ac.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 16, 2016
The Comoros, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, became the latest ally of Saudi Arabia January 15 to announce that it had cut off diplomatic relations with Iran.
A foreign ministry statement blasted Tehran's "aggression" towards Riyadh and accused it of "interfering in the internal affairs of certain countries" and "not respecting diplomatic conventions."
Comoros, an Arab League member, said it had asked the Iranian ambassador to leave after recalling its own ambassador to Tehran a week ago.
The three islands of Anjouan, Grand Comore, and Moheli that make up the Comoros have a total population of just under 800,000 people, nearly all of whom are Sunni Muslims.
Relations between majority Shi'ite Iran and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia nosedived after the January 2 ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
The ransacking came amid public protests against Riyadh's execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent cleric from the kingdom's Shi'ite minority.
Based on reporting by AFP and Gulfnews.com
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
