Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Tehran where he met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. This is Saudi diplomat’s first visit to Iran since a landmark China-brokered rapprochement following a seven-year rift.
Prince Faisal described his talks with his Iranian counterpart as “positive” and said the discussions “stressed the necessity of noninterference in internal affairs.”
At the presidential palace, Prince Faisal handed President Raisi an invitation to the Kingdom on behalf of King Salman and conveyed good wishes of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the president and people of Iran.
#طهران | فخامة رئيس الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية إبراهيم رئيسي يستقبل سمو وزير الخارجية الأمير #فيصل_بن_فرحان @FaisalbinFarhan في القصر الرئاسي بالعاصمة الإيرانية طهران pic.twitter.com/A81p83MRSc
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) June 17, 2023
Prince Faisal and Amir-Abdollahian held bilateral talks at the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s building, which were followed by a joint press conference.
Amirabdollahian called for strengthening economic and trade cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, calling for launching a joint economic commission to materialize such efforts. The foreign minister of Iran also proposed the formation of joint consultation committees to bolster cooperation in areas such as as tourism, transit, land, sea and air transportation, energy, environment, fisheries and fighting drug trafficking.
Saudi Arbaia urges enhanced maritime security in Gulf
Prince Faisal said that Saudi Arabia looks forward to enhanced maritime security in the crucial Gulf region as part of its rapprochement with Iran.
“I would like to refer to the importance of cooperation between the two countries on regional security, especially the security of maritime navigation… and the importance of cooperation among all regional countries to ensure that it is free of weapons of mass destruction”, Saudi foreign minister said.
Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan: The normal relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are the origin, and we hope that will reflect positively on the two countries, the region, and the world.
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) June 18, 2023
📄: https://t.co/w9JuMxUYNg pic.twitter.com/cXLY2gz4lA
Iranian diplomat said at a joint news conference that the two sides discussed cooperating on regional security and other issues. “We voiced our concern about the continuation of war in Sudan and discussed some regional and international topics of interest,” he said.
China-mediated peace talks
In June, Iran officially reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh has reopened on June 6, ending a diplomatic rift between the two Middle Eastern countries under a China-mediated peace deal in March 2023.
In recent months, China has accelerated its peace-oriented diplomatic efforts and increased practical cooperation with Arab countries to contribute to restoring peace and prosperity in the Middle East. China and Saudi Arabia recently as many as 30 investment agreements worth $10 billion at the 10th Arab-China Business Conference.
Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia severed ties with Shia-led Iran in 2016 following the storming of its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad by pro-regime crowds protesting against the Kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric.
Qatar and UAE reopen embassies
At the same time, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened their respective embassies and resumed work on June 19 after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties.
The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation as part of the move to re-establish ties two years after the 2021 Al Ula agreement ended the Gulf rift.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in the affairs of regional states, which Doha denied.