Iran has complained to Nigeria over an army raid on the headquarters of a militant pro-Iranian cleric in which hundreds of people are now feared to have died.
The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, has demanded an explanation by the Nigerian government for its crackdown on the Shia Muslim sect led by Ibrahim Zakzaky, a Nigerian preacher who is a devoted follower of Iran's late Ayatollah Khomeini.
The complaint from Tehran came as human rights groups claimed that the death toll from Saturday's violence - in which 20 people were initially said to have died - could run into the hundreds or even top 1,000.
Saturday's bloodshed took place in the ancient mud-walled city of Zaria in northern Nigeria, after followers of Mr Zakzaky allegedly hurled stones at a military convoy carrying the country's new top general, Tukur Buratai.
The military described it as "a deliberate attempt to assassinate" Mr Buratai and retaliated with 48 hours of raids on Sheikh Zakzaky's sect, in which one of his wives and two of his sons were killed.
The cleric himself also suffered four bullet wounds and is now understood to be in Nigerian military custody.
But the Nigerian forces' claim to be acting simply in self-defence has been questioned by human rights groups, who say troops resorted to what they claim is a habitual tactic of over-reacting.
Those concerns appeared to be shared by the US ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwhistle, who also called for an investigation into misconduct by all parties.
"It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilize the situation," he said.
Mr Zakzaky became a follower of Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s, when Iran was exporting its revolutionary Shia Islamic ideology worldwide. His own Zaria-based sect, which is known as the Shia Islamic movement, is believed to account for the majority of Shia Muslims in Nigeria, which is otherwise overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim.
He has long campaigned for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution in Nigeria, and has found a ready audience for his message in a country long-plagued by corrupt and incompetent officialdom.
But while he insists he does not believe in armed struggle, he and his followers have had frequent clashes with the Nigerian government.
It has thrown him in jail in the past on charges of stirring up violence between Muslims and Christians.
Estimates of Mr Zakzaky's influence in Nigeria vary. While his claim to be able to bring "millions" of followers onto the streets seems wide of the mark, he does command a hardcore of disciples who have allegedly received paramilitary training.
On Tuesday, his followers were involved in further clashes with the authorities, when riot police opened fire on them as they gathered in the city of Kaduna, 50 miles south of Zaria, to demand their leader's release. At least four people were killed.
"Armed policemen ambushed the procession unprovoked and threw tear gas into the crowd before opening fire, killing four people and injuring 25," said Ibrahim Musa, a spokesman for the Shia Islamic Movement. "Despite the unwarranted attack, the march forged ahead."
But with his security forces already facing stiff challenges in northern Nigeria, Mr Buhari appears to have little time for any group who threatens the rule of law.
Nigeria's military also has a long reputation for human rights abuses, which is often said to have fuelled local support for Boko Haram.
In 2009, the military attacked Boko Haram's headquarters in the city of Maiduguri and killed about 700 people, including its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who was allegedly executed while in military custody. The group then re-emerged stronger and more violent in 2011.
The scale of Iranian support for Mr Zakzaky's movement is unclear. While Iran does not regard his group as a key ally like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Mr Rouhani's intervention suggests that Tehran sees such sects as useful ideological footholds in Africa.
Mr Rouhani, who spoke to Mr Buhari by phone, said that "minor disputes must not be allowed to turn into deep differences" among Muslims. Dozens of people demonstrated on Tuesday outside Nigeria's embassy in Tehran to protest against "the massacre of Shias."
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