As the U.N. Security Council condemns the attacks by Iranian protesters on Saudi Arabian diplomatic premises “in the strongest terms,” Correspondent Fred Pleitgen says Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. and other top Iranian officials seemed to be taking a softer stand on the standoff with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran on Sunday after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashad, which the Security Council said caused serious damage. The violence stems from Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent opposition Shiite cleric over the weekend, which predominantly Shiite Iran has denounced. The council statement agreed to Monday night after hours of negotiations made no mention of the execution of the cleric and 46 others last weekend in Saudi Arabia or the rupture in Iran-Saudi relations. It calls on all parties “to maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region.”
