ISLAMABAD : Iranian authorities are stalling on an investigation into the violent mob attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in 2016, says a press statement by Saudi Embassy in Islamabad.
It said Iranian authorities have also resorted to blackmail to gain diplomatic privileges inside the kingdom even though the ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been severed.
Iran, despite an initial approval, has denied a Saudi team entry into Iran as part of the Iranian team investigating the attacks on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad. The Saudi team was delegated to work alongside the Iranian authorities to inspect the two Saudi facilities and finalize the processes relating to them,†he said.
Iranian mobs stormed both the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and Consulate in the city of Mashhad on January 2, 2016. They ransacked offices and set the embassy and consulate buildings on fire, and desecrated the Saudi flags.
The press statement further claimed that Riyadh has sought an investigation into the crime, which had been condemned by the international community. One and a half years on, the investigation has not prospered.
“Such acts of procrastination reflect Iran’s behavior and policy, its disrespect of international laws and conventions, and violation of the inviolability of the diplomatic mission premises, tactics Iran had used for more than 38 years,†it added.
Earlier embassies of US, Russia, Kuwait and Pakistan have also been attacked in Iran. While UK ambassador had said following attack on British embassy in Iran in 2011 that such attacks can only be carried out with the cooperation of state.
