2nd LD: Jordan recalls ambassador to Iran for consultations

Jordan on Monday recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultations over what it described as Tehran's interference in Arab affairs, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan is the latest Arab country to recall its envoy from Iran after Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic ties with Tehran following attacks on its mission in the Islamic republic during protests against the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

On Jan. 2, Saudi Arabia executed Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others over terror charges.

The execution sparked protests in Shiite-dominated Iran, where angry mobs stormed and set ablaze Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and consulate in Iran's northeastern religious city of Mashhad.

A day later, Saudi Arabia announced it was severing its diplomatic ties with Iran, and asked all Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours.

On Monday, Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said that "after attacks on Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, we urged Iran to stop interference in Arab affairs, but we did not see any response from Iran even to calls by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation not to interfere in regional issues."

Jordan decided to recall its envoy to Iran to reevaluate the situation in light of the ongoing developments, he added.

Jordan hopes that Iran would work on building cooperation and trust with the Arab countries and respect the sovereignty of the Arab states and not interfere in their affairs, he said. Endit