BEIJING/DUBAI: According to a report from CCTV news on Thursday, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held a formal meeting in Beijing, marking the first time their most senior diplomats have met in over seven years.
The meeting comes after China facilitated a major deal between the two regional rivals, ending years of hostility that had contributed to conflicts throughout the Middle East. As part of the deal, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to restore diplomatic ties and reopen embassies.
In a brief video clip shown on Iranian state TV, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, are seen greeting each other before sitting down side by side.
The deal, which was brokered by China’s President Xi Jinping in March, was a surprise breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh, given that the United States had been the primary mediator in the region for decades. The agreement was discussed during a phone call between Xi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, which also addressed other issues.
According to Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency, the resumption of relations and the exchange of ambassadors were among the topics discussed.
China’s role in facilitating the deal between the two regional rivals has disrupted the dynamics in the Middle East, where the United States has traditionally been the main mediator. Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute over the execution of a Shi’ite Muslim cleric by Riyadh. The relationship had already begun deteriorating a year earlier, when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen conflict, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted a Saudi-backed government and took over the capital.
For Saudi Arabia, the deal represents a potential improvement in security, given its accusations that Iran has been arming the Houthis, who have carried out missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities and oil facilities. In 2019, Riyadh blamed Iran for a major attack on its Aramco oil facilities, which cut its oil output in half, although Tehran denied any involvement..— Agencies
