Saudi Arabia executes Iranians for drugs smuggling, Tehran protests

Saudi Arabia executed six Iranian nationals for drug smuggling, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to summon the Saudi ambassador. 

The Saudi interior ministry said the six Iranian nationals were arrested and charged with smuggling hashish into the kingdom, according to SPA, and were given the death sentence.

The statement did not mention when the executions were carried out.

In response, Tehran summoned Saudi Arabia's envoy in Tehran to "strongly protest" the executions, Iranian media reported.

"A note of strong protest from Iran, highlighting the incompatibility of this action with the overall judicial cooperation between the two countries, was conveyed to him. The necessity of providing an adequate explanation on this matter was emphasised," Iranian media reports said.

Under a deal brokered by China in 2023, Tehran and Riyadh re-established relations after years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria.

Riyadh has executed 117 people in 2024 for drug trafficking, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

In 2023, the authorities in the Gulf state launched a highly publicised anti-drugs campaign involving a series of raids and arrests.

The execution of traffickers has increased since the end of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for drug charges two years ago.