Saudi Arabia says that the kingdom has executed six Iranian men for drug smuggling, sparking strong objections from Iran at a time when the two countries are trying to mend relations.
The Saudi Interior Ministry says the six men had been caught smuggling hashish into the kingdom and were executed after an appeal was rejected by the country’s Supreme Court. It does not say when this happened.
The punishment was in line with Islamic law and aimed at protecting citizens and residents “from the scourge of drugs,” the ministry says.
In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador in protest, the official IRNA news agency says. Iran will send a delegation to Riyadh to discuss the case, the report adds.
IRNA quotes ministry official Mojtaba Shasti Karimi as saying the executions contradicted the general trend of judicial cooperation. He says the Saudi action, without informing Iran ahead of time, was “not acceptable under any circumstance.”
The Middle East rivals reestablished diplomatic relations in early 2023, after seven years of tensions.
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