What to expect from the Saudi-Iran standoff?

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After Saudi Arabia sentenced 47 men on terrorism charges, capital punishment in the Kingdom has drawn global outcry. However, Iran’s reaction has been more than usual. Among those executed was Nimr al-Nimr, a Shiite Saudi citizen who participated in Iran’s blood-soaked overthrow of the Shah and lived there for a decade.

Iran’s initial reaction was threatening Saudi Arabia of dire consequences. Authorities in the Iranian capital named the road Saudi embassy is situated on after the Shiite activist from the Kingdom. The same day, the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and consulate in Mashad were vandalised and set alight allegedly by a mob.