Saudi Arabia executed six Iranian nationals for drug smuggling, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to summon the Saudi ambassador according to media reports.
Saudi authorities have ramped up efforts to combat drug smuggling in recent years, with significant arrests and seizures reported regularly © Mena Today
Saudi Arabia executed six Iranian nationals for drug smuggling, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to summon the Saudi ambassador according to media reports.
The Saudi interior ministry said the six Iranian nationals were arrested and charged with smuggling hashish into the kingdom, according to SPA, and were given the death sentence.
The statement did not mention when the executions were carried out.
In response, Tehran summoned Saudi Arabia's envoy in Tehran to "strongly protest" the executions, Iranian media reported.
"A note of strong protest from Iran, highlighting the incompatibility of this action with the overall judicial cooperation between the two countries, was conveyed to him. The necessity of providing an adequate explanation on this matter was emphasized," Iranian media reports said.
Under a deal brokered by China in 2023, Tehran and Riyadh re-established relations after years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria.
Reporting by Parisa Hafezi
Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya broadcast an interview with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday, filmed at his residence in Jerusalem, a striking image that is, by any historical measure, rare.
Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to five sources with knowledge of the talks.
Kuwait announced Friday that one of its power generation and water desalination plants had been struck by an Iranian attack, causing significant damage as fighting across the Middle East continued to escalate.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.