"The fallout of Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric is spreading beyond a spat between the Saudis and Iranians, as other Middle East nations choose sides and world powers Russia and China weigh in.
Hours after the death sentence was carried out, protesters in Shiite-majority Iran attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The Saudis cut diplomatic relations with Iran over the attack on its embassy.
On Monday, the Saudi government announced that all flights to and from Iran are suspended, according to the Saudi Pres Agency.
Bahrain also announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran, citing Tehran's "blatant and dangerous interference" in Bahrain and other Arab countries.
The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, announced it was "downgrading" its diplomatic relations with Iran.
The diplomatic row spread to Africa, where Sudan -- a majority Sunni Muslim country -- expelled the Iranian ambassador and the entire Iranian diplomatic mission in the country. Sudan also recalled its ambassador from Iran.
Russia and China, two of the biggest geopolitical players in the hemisphere, released statements calling for restraint between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
"The diplomatic rupture between Saudi Arabia and Iran could easily spiral out of control," said Fawaz Gerges, chair of contemporary Middle Eastern studies at the London School of Economics." CNN
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