After Years of Proxy War, Saudi Arabia and Iran Are Finally Squaring Up in the Open

Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist offences, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating by the day.

Iranian men hold portraits of Shia cleric Sheik Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration against his execution by Saudi authorities, on Jan. 3, 2016, outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Iran and Iraq's top Shiite leaders condemned Saudi Arabia's execution of Nimr, warning ahead of protests that the killing was an injustice that could have serious consequences. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist offenses, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating by the day. After the execution, the Saudi Embassy was stormed by protesters in Tehran. Riyadh has now severed diplomatic relations with Tehran—and the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, staunch Saudi allies, have followed suit, spurred on by Iran’s portentous prediction of “divine vengeance” for the execution.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani condemned those who stormed the embassy, but was also critical of the Saudis’ behavior, suggesting that “the Saudi government has damaged its image, more than before, among the countries in the world, in particular [among] Islamic countries, by this un-Islamic act.”

The concerns that led to Sheikh Nimr's execution—that he was an agent of 'foreign meddling' in the kingdom—are not new.