Iranian Foreign Minister Touts First Visit to Saudi Arabia Since Restoration of Ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian touts Islamic unity in his first visit to Saudi Arabia since restoring ties between the two regions.

In a joint news conference statement, Amir-Abdollahian said that relations between Tehran and the Kingdom were on the right track and were making progress. In the Thursday meeting involving his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Iranian foreign minister said that the talks were successful.

Iranian Foreign Minister in Saudi Arabia

Amir-Abdollahian added that his trip to Saudi Arabia came a few months after Prince Faisal met with officials from Iran in June during his first trip to the nation. That visit came after a March China-brokered deal between the regional rivals to restore ties.

The deal would have Tehran and Riyadh agreeing to end a diplomatic rift and allow the re-establishment of relations following several years of hostility. The chaotic situation had endangered regional stability in the Gulf and Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, as per Aljazeera.

In 2016, Saudi Arabia broke ties with Iran after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran. The chaos resulted from Riyadh ordering the execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The Iranian foreign minister said the two sides had "good discussions" over various issues during the historic meetings. He added that the talks held in the Saudi foreign ministry's Islamic Solidarity Hall were a prelude to the meeting of the heads of the two nations.

Prince Faisal also said Saudi Arabia hoped to see Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visit the Kingdom. This came after an invitation was sent by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which he had communicated during the visit held in June. In response to the invitation, Raisi said he would visit Saudi Arabia at the "appropriate time."

Restoration of Ties

Amir-Abdollahian also took the opportunity to reiterate that Iran supports the Palestinian cause during a time when Riyadh is in talks to normalize ties with Israel. If it pushes through, the deal would have the Kingdom recognize Israel in exchange for various conditions, including security guarantees from the United States and concessions from Israel on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to the Times of Israel.

The Iranian foreign minister described the conflict as the most crucial issue in the Islamic world today, adding that continued support for Palestine needs to be continued. Amir-Abdollahian also criticized the "Zionist" regime that he claims would continue to divide the Muslim world and the region.

Anna Jacobs, a senior Gulf analyst for the International Crisis Group, said that the visits and the reopening of embassies mark crucial confidence-boosting measures. She added that the Saudi-Iran rapprochement is still in its early phases, and it remains unclear how the two sides will address their many divisive stances.

The situation also comes after reports on Wednesday said that Iranian and Saudi military officials met in Moscow on the sidelines of a security conference, said Yahoo News.