(RT) Iranian protesters broke into the Saudi embassy in Tehran after launching several Molotov cocktails into the building. The rally in front of the embassy follows Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
A Mehr news agency editor said on his Twitter that police used tear gas to scatter protesters.
A fire has reportedly broken out at the embassy building. A Mehr editor has reported a gas explosion, while photos from the scene show the building engulfed in flames.
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Iran’s security forces had cordoned off the area around the embassy earlier. Photos from the scene show a heavy police presence.
Protesters gathered in several cities across Iran on Saturday angered by the Gulf kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric, Sheikh al-Nimr, who was put to death along with 46 other prisoners.
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Nimr had been the most vocal critic of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family prior to mass protests that erupted in 2011. He called for regular demonstrations against the ruling elite. Shiites have long complained that they are victims of discrimination in the Sunni powerhouse. Nimr had often called for better protection for the country’s Shiite minority.
