Iran And Saudi Arabia Agreed To Restore Relations, Reopen Embassies After Talks In China
Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to restore relations and reopen embassies within two months after talks in the China, Iranian and Saudi state media announced on March 10.
The talks took place in Beijing from March 6 to 10 between the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani and the Saudi Minister of State, Musaed bin Muhammad al-Aiban.
Nour News, which is linked to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, shared photos and a video it described as being taken in China. The video shows Shamkhani with al-Abian and a Chinese official that state TV named as Wang Yi.
Iranian state television said that the foreign ministers of the two countries will soon meet to prepare for the exchange of ambassadors.
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the agreement when it also published the joint statement from Saudi Arabia and Iran, which said that the two countries had agreed to “respect state sovereignty and not interfere in each other’s internal affairs.”
“The Saudi and Iranian sides expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the Republic of Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman for hosting rounds of dialogue that took place between both sides during the years 2021-2022. The two sides also expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the leadership and government of the People’s Republic of China for hosting and sponsoring the talks, and the efforts it placed towards its success,” the statement reads.
The statement also said that Tehran and Riyadh had agreed to activate a security cooperation agreement that was signed in 2001.
Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia reached its peak after the outbreak of the war in Syria and the 2015 Houthi takeover in Yemen. Saudi Arabia broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran. Riyadh had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier.
The Iranian-Saudi reconciliation could have a major impact on the situation in the Middle East. The cooperation between the two regional players could help end the wars in Syria and Yemen, and find a solution for Lebanon’s deep economic-political crisis.
The reconciliation can be also seen as a victory for Chinese diplomacy in the face of the United States efforts to escalate in the Middle East.
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