The Saudi Arabian stance to sever diplomatic ties with Iran and the subsequent solidary stances taken by Arab and Gulf countries has created great confusion amongst political movements and security circles in Iran.

Many quarters in Iran have begun to wonder about the identity of the people who attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, and the political motivations behind it. The newspaper Iran which is close to the government wrote that specific political parties are trying to “exploit” the attack on the Saudi embassy in the fierce electoral battle between Iranian movements. The newspaper Sharq acknowledged in an editorial yesterday that the attack on the Saudi embassy is making Iran pay “politically, with regards to the media and legally”.

Amongst this “Iranian confusion”, it was announced yesterday that the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will convene a meeting this Saturday to discuss the implications of the attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.

The international wave of condemnation of the attacks on the two diplomatic missions in Iran increased yesterday. The British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon denounced the attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran during a telephone call to the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz who is also the second Deputy Prime Minister and the Defence Minister. The Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also expressed his country’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Amongst other reactions, Kuwait yesterday announced the recall of its ambassador after different steps were taken by other countries such as Bahrain, the UAE and Sudan. Bahrain also announced that flights to and from Iran will be stopped.