Saudi Arabia and Iran’s foreign ministers have met for the first time since China brokered a deal to restore relations between the two countries. The meeting took place in Beijing, and both parties agreed to follow up on arrangements to reopen their diplomatic missions in their respective countries, encourage visits of official and private delegations, and facilitate visas for citizens of both countries. They also agreed to discuss resuming flights between them.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said the meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, was “positive.” In a joint statement, the officials said, “The technical teams will continue coordination to examine the ways of expanding cooperation, including the resumption of flights and bilateral visits of official and private sector delegations and facilitating the granting of visas for the citizens of the two countries.”
The restoration of ties between the two countries comes after years of hostility that culminated in a complete breakdown of formal ties in 2016. The relationship between the two countries had hit rocky patches on and off for over 40 years, worsened notably as they staked opposing positions on conflicts, including the war in Syria and the war in Yemen.
The Saudi-Iran rapprochement is seen as a significant shift in the power dynamic of the region, with China playing a pivotal role in brokering the deal. Abas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, said, “Iran and Saudi Arabia were previously mostly focused on rivalry and tensions, but now they are talking about focusing on common ground … stressing cooperation.”
For Saudi Arabia, the rapprochement could mean improved security, as the kingdom has blamed Iran for arming the Houthis, who launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabian cities and oil facilities. The restoration of ties between the two countries comes amid major shifts in the power dynamic of the region.
The re-establishment of relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria, if confirmed, would mark the most significant step yet in the Arab world to restore ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia is also working on re-engaging with Turkey after years of tension, exacerbated by the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Iran appointed a new ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and the two countries are also re-engaging after breaking ties in 2016. The UAE appointed an ambassador to Tehran last year, and the recent moves towards normalizing relations indicate a significant shift in the region’s power dynamics.
