Iran said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia "cannot cover its crimes" of executing Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 45 others by severing ties with the Shia-ruling country. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made the comments in a statement posted to his website, reported AP. He also said that the Saudi government has "taken a strange action" in cutting off diplomatic relations with his country.

The Saudi Arabian foreign ministry announced on Sunday that Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave the kingdom, and that their own diplomatic mission was heading back home from Tehran. This was after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and set it on fire following al-Nimr's execution.

Bahrain and Sudan on Monday also decided to sever their diplomatic ties with Iran, while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its diplomacy to only focus on business relationships.