Iran in first move to de-escalate row with Saudi Arabia

In an attempt to cool the crisis with Riyadh over the storming of the Saudi embassy last Saturday, Iranian officials said Monday that Tehran’s provincial governor Safar-Ali Baratlou had been “promptly replaced” and “some of the attackers identified, captured and interrogated.”  An angry mob torched and ransacked the embassy straight after the execution by Saudi Arabia of the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr with 46 other “terrorists.” Saudi Arabia and Sunni allies severed ties with Tehran over the incident.
DEBKAfile: This was Tehran’s first response to Pakistan’s effort to mediate the crisis with Riyadh. But tensions remain high.