In a rare diplomatic visit, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, arrived in Tehran on Thursday. This marks a significant occasion as it’s the first time in decades that a senior Saudi royal has visited the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Prince Khalid is scheduled to meet with Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, according to Iranian news outlet ISNA. Discussions will revolve around strengthening defense relations, regional cooperation to ensure peace and stability, and countering terrorism.
This visit is noteworthy as the last time a senior Saudi royal visited Iran was in 1997, when King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited during President Mohammad Khatami’s administration. Prince Khalid is the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions, with Iran engaged in nuclear negotiations with the United States. The US and Israel have threatened military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities if talks fail, while Iran has warned that such an attack could escalate into a broader regional conflict.
The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after protests in Iran led to the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Since then, they have engaged in a proxy conflict, particularly in Yemen, where they supported opposing sides in the ongoing civil war. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missile attacks on both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, targeting vital oil infrastructure.
However, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran has started to improve in the past two years. In a historic move, the two countries signed a normalization agreement, brokered by China. Both countries have also taken steps to avoid getting involved in the broader conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Notably, last year, after a series of strikes exchanged between Iran and Israel, Gulf Arab states expressed concerns to the US about potential attacks on Iran’s oil facilities, which could have severe economic and environmental consequences. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with Qatar, also informed the US and Iran that they would not allow Israel to use their airspace for military strikes on Iran.
In October, Saudi Arabia and Iran conducted their first-ever joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman. In November, Saudi Arabia’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, visited Tehran for talks with his Iranian counterpart.