The government of Iran has said it has employed all diplomatic channels including warning the Nigerian government to release Shi’ite cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky.
Speaking to journalists in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hoseyn Jaberi-Ansari said, “We have used all those channels to warn them [Nigeria] regarding this issue. So hopefully the government… would adopt wise action given the sensitive situation.”
Iran is home to many Shia followers and they have repeatedly condemned the actions of the Nigerian military in the killing of scores of Shi’ites in Zaria late last year.
Saudi Arabia supports Nigeria’s actions against the Shi’ite, calling it a right step in the fight against terrorism.
The Kingdom yesterday executed a vocal critic of the Saudi Royal family’s policies, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The action led to the breaking of diplomatic ties between the two countries and a huge spike in the price of crude oil as tension returns to the middle east.