Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Saudi Arabia executes top Shia cleric

[Tank]

Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Saudi Arabia executes top Shia cleric

Saudi Arabia has executed the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the interior ministry said.

He was among 47 people put to death after being convicted of terrorism offences, it said in a statement.

Sheikh Nimr was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011, where a Shia majority have long complained of marginalisation.

Shia-led Iran said Saudi Arabia would pay a "high price" for the execution.

A foreign ministry spokesman said Riyadh "supports terrorists... while executing and suppressing critics inside the country".

Iranian state TV reported that the Saudi charge d'affaires in Iran had been summoned to the foreign ministry.

Iran is the main regional rival of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia.

More petrol on the fire that is the Middle East.

[Icarus]

The Saudis and the Iranians have been at odds with one another for a long time. Sunni vs Shia. In the last few days the wicket has become far more sticky.....huge anti Saudi demonstrations in Tehran for example.  This could get really serious since we are the default supporter of the Saudis and we are not fans of the Ayatola Kholmeini who has the last authoritative word in Iran.  The Ayatollah is not friendly toward us either. The Iranians have never forgiven us for being complicit in the installation of the Shah.

[Steeler]

Here's to hoping we stay the hell out of it.

[Asmodean]

I'm curious, if it wasn't for fuel-related resources, would the civilized world even care about the goings on in that nasty desert?

Even the relatively even-handed Norwegian media can't seem to mention this case without going on at length about how this might affect the flow of oil.

[Tank]

I'm curious, if it wasn't for fuel-related resources, would the civilized world even care about the goings on in that nasty desert?

Even the relatively even-handed Norwegian media can't seem to mention this case without going on at length about how this might affect the flow of oil.

If it wasn't for the oil the West would pay about as much attention to Saudi Arabia as it does to Samoa.
The oil price is critical to the Norwegian economy after that it's fish and wood.

[Asmodean]

What's a Samoa?

Also, I assume that a lot of people in Norway today would gladly offer a few million Middle-Easterners for a couple of hundred percent oil price hike. Politically correctly, of course, but some mental dancing on graves would happen.

Makes me glad to be unaffiliated with the oil industry, actually. It's too global, too messy and too prone to sabotage by the desert kingdoms.