UN condemns attack on Saudi embassy in Iran

REUTERS

The statement made no mention of the execution of the cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, BBC News reported.

Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday after its embassy was ransacked and set alight.

On Monday, Turkey's Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus urged both countries to calm the row, saying the Middle East was "already a powder keg".

Read alsoSaudi says break in Iran ties will not harm Syria peace processUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has phoned the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran to urge both countries to avoid actions that could further exacerbate tensions after the recent Saudi executions, the attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran, and the rupture in diplomatic ties, according to the UN website.