Iranian FM meets Saudi crown prince in Jeddah

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Friday was received by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman during his first visit to the country since the region rivals restored ties in March. 

The Iranian foreign minister landed in Riyadh on Thursday on an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who attended Friday’s meeting. They discussed future cooperation opportunities and developments in regional and international matters, according to Saudi state media, Saudi Press Agency (SPA). 

Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter that discussions with the Saudi crown prince were “frank, transparent, beneficial, and productive,” adding that both sides agreed on “achieving security and development for everyone” in the region. 

The Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran severed ties in 2016 when Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran in retaliation for the kingdom’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. 

Tehran and Riyadh have had tumultuous relations since 1979, when Shiite revolutionaries came into power in Iran and vowed to export their revolution to the world, including neighboring Gulf states. 

In March, China brokered a deal between the two, leading to a thaw in relations and restoring severed diplomatic ties after seven years. 

In June, Farhan visited Tehran, marking the first time a top Saudi diplomat visited Iran since tensions had soared. The visit came after Tehran reopened its embassy in Riyadh. 

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia’s Tehran embassy officially resumed its duties, Iranian state media reported. 

The Chinese-brokered rapprochement followed two years of mediation from Iraq. Baghdad hosted five rounds of talks beginning in 2021 between the regional powers that brought them closer to the final agreement reached in Beijing. Oman also mediated discussions. 

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been on opposing sides in various conflicts in the Middle East, including in Syria, Lebanon, and most notably Yemen. In recent months, both countries have been pushing for peace talks in Yemen between the Saudi-backed government and Iranian-backed Houthi forces.

The US also continues to push for normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Iran’s main regional rival. Such a move could potentially harm Saudi-Iranian relations.