05 January 2016•Update: 06 January 2016
WASHINGTON
The U.S. on Monday said diplomacy is "essential" between Saudi Arabia and Iran, amid ongoing tensions after a prominent Shia imam was executed by Saudi authorities.
"We continue to believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations are essential to work through differences," said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
"We reiterate the need for leaders throughout the region to redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions."
The U.S. is "concerned" about the recent situation in the region and continues to urge Saudi Arabia to "ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all cases," according to Kirby.
Tensions between the kingdom and Iran were exacerbated following the execution of Shia cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr and 46 prisoners who had, for the most part, been convicted of committing acts of "terrorism".
Before his arrest in July 2012, al-Nimr led mass protests against Saudi authorities in the country’s eastern Qatif province.
Following al-Nimr’s execution, predominantly-Shia Iranian protesters have torched two diplomatic buildings belonging to Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashhad, to protest the execution on Saturday.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced the cutting of diplomatic ties to Iran after attacks on its missions.
Although Kirby condemned attacks on Saudi facilities, he stopped short of criticizing Saudi Arabia from the mass executions.
The White House said that the warnings it issued to Riyadh before it carried out the killings, have come to fruition.
"This is a concern that we raised with the Saudis in advance," spokesman Josh Earnest said. "Unfortunately, the concerns that we expressed to the Saudis have precipitated the kinds of consequences that we were concerned about."
He further urged restraint between the regional rivals, emphasizing that it "is in the interests" of the countries to jointly work toward a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been in touch with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and is expected to soon reach out to his Saudi counterpart, Earnest said.
