Manama: Qatar has recalled its ambassador to Iran following the attacks on the Saudi embassy in the capital Tehran and on the general consulate in the northern city of Mashhad.
The recall was announced in a statement by the Director of Asian Department at the Foreign Ministry Khalid Bin Ebrahim Al Hamar and carried by Qatar News Agency.
Qatar thus became the fifth Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to recall its ambassador from the Iranian capital following the attacks.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations and banned flights to and from Iran.
Kuwait and the UAE recalled their ambassadors in an act of solidarity with fellow GCC member Saudi Arabia.
The UAE decided to downgrade the level of its diplomatic representation in Iran to that of a charge d'affaires and to require a reduction in the number of Iranian diplomats stationed in the UAE.
The GCC has condemned Iran’s blatant interference in the domestic affairs of Gulf and Arab countries.
The GCC, established in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
At the Arab level, Sudan has also severed its diplomatic ties with Iran and Jordan summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against the attacks on Saudi missions and Iran’s interference in Arab affairs.
Egypt had broken off diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980 and Morocco in 2009.
