Sweden's government said Wednesday it would hold urgent talks with business leaders to discuss concerns over trade with Gulf countries following a deepening diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia and criticism from the Arab League.

Sweden last week cut military ties with Saudi Arabia after Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem accused Riyadh of blocking her from making a speech at the Arab League about human rights.

Fears that Shiite Iran will remain a potential nuclear threat under a mooted international deal have raised concerns that Tehran's Sunni rival Saudi Arabia could seek its own atomic capability.

As the March 31 deadline for talks between Tehran and world powers approaches, an influential Saudi prince has suggested his country will respond in kind if a final deal leaves open the possibility of a nuclear Iran.

A Syrian on Wednesday became the latest person to be beheaded in Saudi Arabia, where executions have surged this year.

The killing of Firas Mohammed al-Kor brought to 49 the number of death sentences carried out in 2015, compared with 87 for all of last year, according to Agence France Presse tallies.

Kuwaiti secret police arrested the leader of an opposition youth group early on Wednesday following a complaint from the Saudi embassy, the interior ministry and activists said.

Civil Democratic Movement leader Tareq al-Mutairi was detained after he ignored a summons by the public prosecutor's office over a complaint by the Saudi embassy, the interior ministry said on its Twitter account.

The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia remained close to the public for a fourth straight day on Wednesday because of unspecified security concerns.

"The consular services remain suspended," embassy press officer Johann Schmonsees told Agence France Presse, adding that other embassy business continues as usual.

Saudi Arabia beheaded a Pakistani and two Saudis on Tuesday, bringing to 48 the number of death sentences carried out this year.

That is more than half of the 87 people executed during all of 2014, according to an AFP tally.

The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia said it would remain closed to the public for a third day Tuesday because of "security concerns".

Consular services had initially been suspended on Sunday and Monday but the closure will continue for an extra day, a notice on the embassy website said.

Saudi Arabia's Islamic-based legal system ensures "justice for all" and the country's women have made significant strides, the kingdom's cabinet affirmed on Monday, responding to criticism by Sweden's foreign minister.

Riyadh last week recalled its ambassador to Stockholm after what it called "flagrant interference in internal affairs" by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem.

Torn between a north controlled by Shiite rebels and a south dominated by the embattled president's allies, Yemen is mired in a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, analysts say.

The struggle threatens to push the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state further towards the abyss as the Sunni-Shiite sectarian divide grows wider.

A man convicted of murder was beheaded in the Saudi capital on Monday, amid a steep rise in the number of executions in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom this year.

The beheading of Saad bin Abdullah al-Jadid, who had shot dead fellow Saudi Abdullah bin Faraj al-Gahtani, took to 45 the number of executions since January 1, according to an Agence France Presse count.