RIYADH/JEDDAH — Iranian diplomats are leaving the Kingdom in peace and security while Saudi diplomats had to be evacuated through Dubai to arrive home. The scene around the Iranian embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah looks normal while the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad have been burned down by angry mobs. The 48-hour ultimatum given to the Iranian ambassador to leave the Kingdom expired just before midnight on Monday and Iranian diplomats were leaving for home in complete safety and comfort. In contrast, Saudi diplomats spoke about death the threats they received on Saturday. They said the Iranian protesters started to gather around the embassy and the consulate in large numbers and began throwing stones followed by molotov bombs that burned down major portions of both buildings. They said angry mobs stormed the embassy and the consulate, tampered with documents and took valuable items. A total of 33 Saudi diplomats and their families arrived in Dubai where they stayed for two nights before they were flown to the Kingdom. They arrived in Jeddah, Riyadh, Qassim, Abha and Taif. The Saudi diplomats said they were not frightened for themselves but for their families. Saeed Al-Amri, a diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Tehran, said his two-year-old daughter Hala spent the most terrifying hours of her life when the Iranian authorities deliberately cut electricity to their residence. "Me and my wife had to use the lights of our mobile phones to light the house as children were crying because of the darkness," said Amri, who spent five years in Tehran. "The Iranian government openly instigated its people to take action against Saudi Arabia and its leadership," he said.
