UN Security Council condemns attacks against Saudi embassy in Iran
Members of the Council called on Iran to “protect diplomatic and consular property and personnel, and to respect fully their international obligations.”
By DANIELLE ZIRIUpdated: JANUARY 5, 2016 10:07Meeting of the UN Security Council(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK - Member states of the United Nations Security Council released a statement on Monday evening condemning “in the strongest terms” the attacks against Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran, and its Consulate General in Mashhad, in Iran.The Security Council pointed out that diplomatic and consular premises are subject to a “fundamental principle of inviolability”. They added that the host governments of any embassy have an obligation, under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to “take all appropriate steps to protect diplomatic and consular premises against any intrusion or damage, and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of these missions or impairment of their dignity.”Members of the Council then called on the Iranian authorities to “protect diplomatic and consular property and personnel, and to respect fully their international obligations in this regard.”They also called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region. Earlier on Monday, UN secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had made phone calls to both Saudi Foreign Minister Abel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.The Secretary-General urged both Foreign Ministers to “avoid any actions that could further exacerbate the situation between two countries and in the region as a whole” and stressed the importance of “continued constructive engagement by both countries in the interest of the region and beyond.”
