沙特宣佈與伊朗斷交 West calls for calm between Middle East powers

Western leaders have called for calm between Iran and Saudi Arabia after renewed tensions at the weekend between the two Middle Eastern powers threatened to stoke the flames of a sectarian conflict across the region.

沙特阿拉伯週日宣佈與伊朗斷絕外交關係，此前沙特處決了知名什葉派教士和活動家謝赫尼米爾尼米爾(Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr)，引發伊朗人在沙特駐德黑蘭大使館門前爆發騷亂。

Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on Saturday for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, including the prominent Shia cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, triggering riots at Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran.

上週六，沙特以策劃和實施恐怖襲擊的罪名處決了47人，其中包括知名什葉派教士和活動家謝赫尼米爾尼米爾，引發伊朗人在沙特駐德黑蘭大使館門前爆發騷亂。

The US, UN and EU all condemned the kingdom’s executions, while warning countries in the region to avoid escalating religious tensions further.

美國、聯合國(UN)和歐盟(EU)都譴責沙特處決這些人士的舉動，同時警告中東國家避免加劇宗教緊張。

The Shia cleric’s execution threatens to fuel a power struggle with Iran across the region, particularly in Syria and Iraq where both accuse each other of fanning a sectarian war between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

處決這名什葉派宗教人士的舉動可能加劇沙特同伊朗在整個地區的權力鬥爭，尤其是在敘利亞和伊拉克，這兩國都指責對方在什葉派和遜尼派穆斯林之間煽動教派戰爭。

The western warnings came as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Saudi Arabia would face “divine vengeance” for the “unjustly spilled blood” of Nimr. He urged the world, including Islamic countries, to react to Saturday’s killings.

西方的警告是在伊朗最高領袖阿亞圖拉阿里哈梅內伊(Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)發表相關言論之際發出的。哈梅內伊宣稱，沙特將爲尼米爾“不公正的流血”遭受“神聖的復仇”。他敦促包括伊斯蘭國家在內的全世界對沙特上週六的處決行動做出反應。

Dozens of Iranian hardliners stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran on Saturday and set it ablaze. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard vowed “tough revenge in the not-too-distant future” that would “trigger the collapse” of Saudi rule.

上週六，數十名伊朗強硬派衝擊了沙特駐德黑蘭大使館並縱火焚燒。伊朗革命衛隊(Revolutionary Guard)誓言，“在不遠的將來將發動強硬報復”，引發沙特統治“覆滅”。

The US Department of State said Nimr’s execution risked “exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced”. It reiterated the need for leaders throughout the region “to redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions”.

美國國務院(Department of State)表示，處決尼米爾可能會在“迫切需要減緩教派緊張局勢的時候加劇緊張”。美國國務院還重申，整個中東地區國家領袖需要“加強降低地區緊張的努力”。

Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, said he was “deeply dismayed” about the executions, adding that the UN “deplored the violence by demonstrators against the Saudi embassy in Tehran”.

聯合國祕書長潘基文(Ban Ki-moon)表示對這一處決行爲“深感震驚”，並補充說聯合國“譴責示威者對德黑蘭沙特大使館的暴力行爲”。

Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the Nimr case raised serious concerns “regarding the respect of basic civil and political rights”. She warned it could have “dangerous consequences” for the region.

歐盟外交與安全政策高級代表費代裏卡莫蓋里尼(Federica Mogherini)表示，尼米爾一案引發了“在尊重基本公民和政治權利方面”的嚴重擔憂。她警告稱，該案可能對該地區產生“危險的後果”。

Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s centrist president, also criticised Saudi’s rulers for what he called an “un-Islamic act” that he said would fan terrorism and “further tarnish the Saudi image in the world”.

伊朗的中間派總統哈桑脠哈尼(Hassan Rouhani)也批評沙特統治者採取了被他稱爲“不符合伊斯蘭教義的行爲”。他說，這一行爲會助長恐怖主義的氣焰，並“進一步玷污沙特在世界上的形象”。

At the same time, Mr Rouhani’s government sought to prevent further escalation by urging protesters to respect diplomatic immunity and not to gather in front of the Saudi embassy, as well as its consulate in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

與此同時，魯哈尼政府尋求阻止局面進一步升級，敦促抗議者尊重外交豁免權，不要聚集在沙特大使館及伊朗東北部馬什哈德市的沙特領事館門前。