Signs of rapprochement: Foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia meet

In a further sign of rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the foreign ministers of the two rival countries, Hussein Amirabdollahian and Faisal bin Farhan, met in Beijing. This is reported by Chinese state television.

Thursday’s meeting was the first such meeting in more than seven years. Behind the scenes, China had brokered a fresh start between the two opponents.

The Saudi Arabian state broadcaster Al-Ekhbariya showed short images of the meeting without giving further details about the content. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the meeting would include the reopening of both countries’ embassies.

Tehran and Riyadh surprisingly announced last month that they wanted to resume diplomatic relations. The meeting of foreign ministers was heralded as the first step. The ministers now met in strict secrecy. Riyadh and Tehran want to settle their differences through dialogue and reopen embassies within two months, it was said at a meeting of senior government officials from both countries in Beijing in March. Saudi Arabia and Iran also announced at the time that they wanted to discuss developing trade relations and security cooperation during the ministerial meeting.

Israel’s opposition sharply criticized the rapprochement. Israel is Iran’s nemesis and has long sought to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, including building a coalition against Tehran. Iran has contested Israel’s right to exist since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran have not maintained diplomatic relations in recent years. Both countries compete for political and military influence in the region. Rivals’ rapprochement could lead to major upheavals, including in civil war-torn Yemen, where countries support different parties.

Over the past year, the two sides have approached each other cautiously on a diplomatic level. Several rounds of talks were held in Iraq with Iranian and Saudi officials, mostly on security issues.

Iran and Saudi Arabia both depend on oil exports. Competition in the energy market had also contributed to their rivalry. However, due to international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program, Iran is largely excluded from the market.

Riyadh cut official ties with Tehran in January 2016 in response to an attack by Iranian protesters at the Saudi embassy in Iran. The protests were sparked by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia. (saw/sda/dpa)