ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it still supports the upcoming Syrian peace process despite its recent fallout with regional rival Iran. “The recent tensions that impacted the region negatively will not affect... the operations that the United Nations carries out alongside the international community to achieve a political solution in Geneva soon," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said after talks in Riyadh with the United Nations special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura. De Mistura echoed his sentiment when he said, "We cannot afford to lose this momentum despite what is going on in the region." Riyadh and Tehran have opposing interests in the region. Both powers back opposing elements in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Underlying tensions were recently exacerbated after Riyadh executed a Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, on Saturday and an Iranian mob responded by sacking the Saudi embassy on Sunday, which led to Saudi Arabia severing its ties with Iran. Both countries are important regional powers when it comes to bringing about a much needed compomise to end the war in Syria.
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