Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume ties in the China-Negotiation. The Negotiations were initiated by Oman and Iraq in 2021.
The two countries held five rounds of talks with the last talk held in Baghdad in May 2022. Everything was ready for the sixth round but for several reasons, it never went ahead.
However, last month, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi paid a state visit to China where preparations were made for China to host a final round of negotiations.
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The fallout goes back to June 2016 when Saudi Arabia executed the Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy on the same day a group of angry protestors attacked the Saudi Embassy on this street in Tehran, setting some parts of the building on fire. Following the incident, Riyad cuts diplomatic ties with Tehran.
China has described the new understanding between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a victory for peace and dialogue.
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Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Turkey, and several other countries warmly welcomed the agreement describing it as a new chapter for the region. Some experts say it could prove to be a major turning point.
“Iran and Saudi Arabia are two regional powers that can totally change the Middle East in terms of US hegemony if they stand together”, a Chinese official said in a statement.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian says, Iran’s neighbourhood policy is a key element in President Raisi’s foreign policy.
According to Iran’s top diplomats, the normalization of ties between Tehran and Riyad will provide huge advantages for both as well as for the Muslim world.
