Nimr al Nimr was put to death in Saudi Arabia along with 46 other prisoners on Saturday.
The issue has threatened to further damage relations between the Sunni-ruled kingdom and its enemy Iran, which is a predominantly Shia nation.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "The unjustly spilled blood of this oppressed martyr will no doubt soon show its effect and divine vengeance will befall Saudi politicians."
US officials have urged the Saudi government and other Middle Eastern leaders to "redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions".
Protesters in Iran's capital, Tehran, attacked the Saudi embassy with petrol bombs in the wake of the executions.
Sectarian anger was also enflamed in eastern parts of Saudi, with hundreds of Shia Muslims marching through the streets.
Al Nimr, 56, was a driving force behind anti-government protests in Saudi during the Arab Spring of 2011 and Riyadh has insisted that the death penalties were part of a justified war on terrorism.
There have also been outbreaks of unrest in Bahrain, where demonstrators took to the streets, and in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad, where the Saudi consulate was the scene of protests.
Also, the leader of Lebanese Shia militant group Hizbollah strongly condemned Saudi Arabia.
Hassan Nasrallah called Al Nimr a brave martyr and holy warrior, who did not carry weapons or espouse armed conflict and was killed only for his criticism of the Al Saud ruling family.
Iran is ruled by a majority Shia-led government and some of its politicians have warned that Saudi's monarchy will pay a high price for the killing of Al Nimr.
Meanwhile, former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al Maliki said the execution "will topple the Saudi regime".
The comments of high-profile Iranians prompted Saudi's Foreign Ministry to summon Iran's envoy to the kingdom, amid claims the criticism represented a "blatant interference" in its internal affairs.
A Saudi government spokesman later said: "The Iranian regime is the last regime in the world that could accuse others of supporting terrorism, considering that (Iran) is a state that sponsors terror, and is condemned by the United Nations and many countries."
The violent protests came despite an appeal by Al Nimr's brother for a "peaceful" response to the execution, who said his family did not want to see further bloodshed.
Most of those executed were detained after a series of attacks by al Qaeda between 2003 and 2006 in which hundreds of people were killed. Four, including Al Nimr, were Shias accused of shooting police.
All but two - an Egyptian and a Chadian - were Saudi nationals. The executions took place in 12 cities across Saudi, with four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has called on David Cameron to speak out against the executions.
Treasury minister David Gauke said the executions were "wrong", but he defended the UK's close relationship with the Saudi regime.
He told Sky News' Murnaghan programme: "When it comes to protecting British people, the Prime Minister has made it clear that intelligence from Saudi Arabia has helped save lives and protect people in the UK ...
"We have a relationship with Saudi Arabia where we are able to speak candidly to them, where these issues are raised on a regular basis by the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister and our representatives in Riyadh."
Last year, 157 people were put to death in Saudi Arabia, compared to 90 in 2014.
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