Saudi Arabia executed 47 people for terrorism on Saturday, including a prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric. The execution of Nimr al-Nimr has caused outrage among the kingdom’s critics, saying the cleric’s death aims to “set the region on fire.” The men, 45 Saudis, an Egyptian and a man from Chad, were reportedly killed behind closed doors in prisons across the country RT reports: Nimr, along with six others, were accused of orchestrating anti-government protests between 2011 and 2013 in which 20 people died.

Shiite leaders have lashed out over Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on terror charges. Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi authorities, was executed on Saturday along with 46 other people. Shia-lead Iran said Saudi Arabia would pay a “high price” for the execution. A senior Iranian Ayatollah called the execution a “crime,” and  Tehran’s Foreign Ministry accused Riyadh of supporting terrorists.

President Obama has announced plans to take unilateral action on gun control in the U.S., saying that he intends to use his executive powers as president, bypassing Congress who he says have failed to address the problem.  Experts have warned that Obama’s drastic actions could cause civil unrest amongst much of the country. BBC News reports: But Mr Obama told Americans that he had received too many letters from parents, and teachers, and children, to sit around and do nothing. “We know that we can’t stop every act of violence,” the president said. “But what if we tried to stop even one?

A senior Iranian Commander has accused US authorities of being responsible for an increase in drug production in Afghanistan.  “The problem of narcotics still persists in Afghanistan as a result of negligence of foreign states towards llicit drug trade in our neighboring country,” General Ali Moayyedi told Afghan police officers at a training workshop in Tehran. Farsnews.com reports: He voiced Iran’s readiness to send its anti-narcotics officers to Afghanistan to train that country’s officers.

A top Iranian official has threatened the U.S. with the development of ballistic missiles with a range of 5,000 kilometers after new sanctions were imposed on Iran.  Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said that if America presses ahead with its sanctions against Iran the country will take it “as a slap to our country”. Rt.com reports: “The US will regret its behavior and realize that such actions cause no benefit,” Rezaei stressed. Rezaei also thanked Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani for his quick response to US threats.