Iranian president Hassan Rouhani asserted as "totally unjustifiable" the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which followed the execution of a Shiite cleric in the Kingdom.

"The actions last night by a group of radicals in Tehran and Mashhad leading to damage at the Saudi embassy and consulate are totally unjustifiable, as the buildings should be legally and religiously protected in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Rouhani, quoted by the official IRNA news agency, said.

At least 44 people were arrested late Saturday for storming the diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad after Saudi Arabia announced it had executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al Nimr and 46 other men on "terrorism" charges.

In Tehran protesters threw petrol bombs and stormed the embassy. The kingdom's consulate in Mashhad, Iran's second biggest city in the country's northeast, was also set on fire.

Source: MENA