Iran strongly condemned Saudi Arabia’s mass execution of convictedcriminals over the weekend, saying the move violates “basic principles ofhuman rights and international law.”

In a statement late Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadehsaid the mass execution Saturday by Saudi authorities of 81 men reportedlyconvicted of terrorism and capital crimes was carried out “withoutobserving fair judicial processes.”

Saudi Arabia announced the execution of 81 people — the largest massexecution in the country’s history — accusing them of crimes includingmurder, rape, arms smuggling and ties to terrorist groups.

Most of them were Saudi nationals, and more than half of them belonged tothe Shia Muslim community, according to reports.

In a strong protest, Khatibzadeh said the executions and violence “were nota solution to the crisis of their own making,” accusing the Saudigovernment of “covering up political and judicial turmoil” and “repressingthe people.”

The statement came hours after Iran temporarily suspended a fifth round oftension-easing talks with Saudi Arabia brokered by Iraq which were set toresume Wednesday after a long pause.

While it did not cite any reason for the unilateral decision, observersbelieve the executions could have been a trigger.

The two Persian Gulf neighbors fell out in January 2016 following attackson two Saudi diplomatic missions in the cities of Tehran and Mashhad whichwere triggered by Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shia cleric andactivist Sheikh Baqir Nimr al-Nimr.

Efforts to repair the ties started in April last year, with four rounds oftalks taking place so far brokered by Baghdad.

An attack Saturday on an Israeli facility in the Iraqi city of Erbil forwhich Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimedresponsibility could also have led to the suspension of talks, according toobservers.