Iran decides to temporarily suspend its talks with Saudi Arabia

Iran has decided to temporarily suspend its talks aimed at defusing years-long tensions with Saudi Arabia. This comes a day after Saudi Arabia carried out the largest known mass execution in its modern history. The Iranian media reported the government had unilaterally paused the talks with Saudi Arabia that have been ongoing in Baghdad over the past year aimed at restoring diplomatic ties.

Iraq’s foreign minister earlier had said the fifth round of talks between



Saudi and Iranian representatives was due to resume on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia yesterday executed 81 people convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups. 

The number of executed surpassed even the toll of a January 1980 mass execution for the 63 militants convicted of seizing the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, the worst-ever militant attack to target the kingdom and Islam’s holiest site.