Saudi Arabia’s foreign affairs ministry has announced that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran spoke by phone to mark the beginning of Ramadan and have agreed to meet “soon” to start the process of re-opening embassies and consulates.
According to the Saudi foreign affairs ministry, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, had a call with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during which they exchanged greetings and congratulations on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. The ministry also mentioned that the holy month begins on Thursday in both countries.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the foreign affairs ministry of Saudi Arabia stated that the two foreign ministers agreed to hold a bilateral meeting soon in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates between the two countries.The ministers are expected to meet as the next step in normalizing relations between the two countries. This follows a surprise Chinese-brokered rapprochement that was announced on March 10. The rapprochement is expected to result in the restoration of diplomatic ties, which were severed seven years ago.
Iranian Protests
In 2016, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in the country following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shia Muslim scholar, which led to Riyadh cutting relations with Tehran. This incident was just one of the series of flashpoints between the two longstanding regional rivals.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have supported rival sides in several conflict zones across the Middle East, including in Yemen, where the Houthi rebels are backed by Tehran and where Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting the government.But both sides have recently sought to improve ties.
The Chinese-brokered agreement is expected to compel Iran, with its Shia-majority, and Saudi Arabia, consisting mainly of Sunni Muslims, to reopen their embassies and missions within two months. Moreover, they will need to execute security and economic cooperation deals, which they had signed more than 20 years ago.
On Sunday, an Iranian official claimed that King Salman had extended an invitation to Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, to visit Saudi Arabia, although Riyadh had not yet verified this information. Amir-Abdollahian, speaking to reporters on the same day, also revealed that the two nations had decided to arrange a meeting between their top diplomats. He further stated that three venues had been proposed, but he did not specify which ones.
The potential detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran could reshape relationships throughout a region known for decades of turbulence.