Sheikh Qassem: Nimr execution an indelible blot on Saudi record

Saudi Arabia’s controversial decision to cut relations with Iran will not change anything about the kingdom’s “big crime” of executing Shaykh Nimr, the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement’s second-in-command, Sheikh Na’im Qassem, said at a political conference at the al-Mustafa University, al-Alam Arabic-language news channel reported.

He said the execution is a blot on the Al Saud and the so-called modern world which claims to advocate human rights.

The Hezbollah figure also hailed Iran as a major country that Arabs and Muslims can rely on, recommending the Saudi officials to exercise wisdom and stop creating problems.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to sever relations with Iran came after the kingdom’s execution of Shaykh Nimr drew widespread international condemnation and ignited furious protests in Iran during which some of the demonstrators stormed the Saudi diplomatic buildings in the cities of Tehran and Mashhad.

Iranian officials condemned the attacks, with President Hassan Rouhani calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.