UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to avoid escalating regional tensions, his spokesperson said Monday.
The spokesperson said Ban has discussed the matter by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. Ban condemned the attacks on Saudi missions in Iran, and called for Iran to take measures and protect foreign missions on its soil. Meanwhile, Ban also raised concerns about the nature of the charges and fairness of the trials of the 47 people executed by Saudi Arabia on the weekend.
In response, the Saudi UN mission expressed "deep regret" over Ban's concerns. It said the executed people had been granted "fair and just trials without any consideration to their intellectual, racial, or sectarian affiliation."
