Saudi Arabia Executes 6 Iranians for Drug Smuggling, Iran Protests
Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that it executed six Iranian men for drug smuggling, a move that drew strong objections from Tehran amid efforts to rebuild diplomatic ties between the two regional rivals.
The Saudi Interior Ministry stated that the men were apprehended smuggling hashish into the kingdom and were executed after the Supreme Court rejected their appeal. The ministry did not specify the timing of the executions.
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In a statement, the ministry justified the actions as being in accordance with Islamic law and aimed at protecting the kingdom’s citizens and residents “from the scourge of drugs.”
In response, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador to express its condemnation, according to the official IRNA news agency. Mojtaba Shasti Karimi, an Iranian Foreign Ministry official, criticized Saudi Arabia for failing to notify Iran in advance, calling the executions “unacceptable under any circumstance.”
Iran also announced plans to send a delegation to Riyadh to discuss the matter. Karimi claimed the executions were a setback to judicial cooperation efforts between the two nations.
