Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom바카라s oil production attributed to Tehran.
The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People바카라s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a yearslong war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with China, which brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report the agreement.
Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China of the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran바카라s Supreme National Security Council, with Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban and Wang Yi, China바카라s most senior diplomat.
바카라After implementing of the decision, the foreign ministers of the both nations will meet to prepare for exchange of ambassadors,바카라 Iranian state television said. It added that the talks had been held over four days.
The joint statement calls for the reestablishing of ties and the reopening of embassies to happen 바카라within a maximum period of two months.바카라
In the footage aired by Iranian media, Wang could be heard offering 바카라whole-hearted congratulations바카라 on the two countries바카라 바카라wisdom.바카라
바카라Both sides have displayed sincerity,바카라 he said. 바카라China fully supports this agreement.바카라
China, which recently hosted Iran바카라s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, is also a top purchaser of Saudi oil. President Xi Jinping, just awarded a third five-year term as president earlier on Friday, visited Riyadh in December to attend meetings with oil-rich Gulf Arab nations crucial to China바카라s energy supplies.
Iran바카라s state-run IRNA news agency quoted Shamkhani as calling the talks 바카라clear, transparent, comprehensive and constructive.바카라
바카라Removing misunderstandings and the future-oriented views in relations between Tehran and Riyadh will definitely lead to improving regional stability and security, as well as increasing cooperation among Persian Gulf nations and the world of Islam for managing current challenges,바카라 Shamkhani was quoted as saying.
Shortly after the Iranian announcement, Saudi state media began publishing the same statement.
Tensions have been high between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric days earlier, triggering the demonstrations.
The execution came as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then a deputy, began his rise to power. The son of King Salman, Prince Mohammed at one point compared Iran바카라s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Nazi Germany바카라s Adolf Hitler, and also threatened to strike Iran.
In the years since, tensions have risen dramatically across the Middle East since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran바카라s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks in the time since, including one that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia바카라s oil industry in 2019, temporarily halving the kingdom바카라s crude production.
Though Yemen바카라s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels initially claimed the attack, Western nations and experts have blamed the attack on Tehran. Iran long has denied launching the attack. It has also denied carrying out other assaults later attributed to the Islamic Republic.
Kristian Ulrichsen, a research fellow at Rice University바카라s Baker Institute who long has studied the region, said Saudi Arabia reaching the deal with Iran came after the United Arab Emirates reached a similar understanding with Tehran.
바카라This dialing down of tensions and de-escalation has been underway for three years and this was triggered by Saudi acknowledgement in their view that without unconditional U.S. backing they were unable to project power vis-a-vis Iran and the rest of the region,바카라 he said.
Prince Mohammed, now focused on massive construction projects in his own country, likely wants to finally pull out of the Yemen war as well, Ulrichsen added.
바카라Instability could do a lot of damage to his plans,바카라 he said.
The Houthis seized Yemen바카라s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen바카라s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting has created a humanitarian disaster and pushed the Arab world바카라s poorest nation to the brink of famine.
A six-month cease-fire in Yemen바카라s war, the longest of the conflict, expired in October despite diplomatic efforts to renew it. That led to fears the war could again escalate. More than 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen during the fighting, including over 14,500 civilians.
In recent months, negotiations have been ongoing, including in Oman, a longtime interlocutor between Iran and the U.S. Some have hoped for an agreement ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which will begin later in March. Iran and Saudi Arabia have held off-and-on talks in recent years, but it wasn바카라t immediately clear if Yemen was the impetus for this new detente.
The U.S. Navy and its allies have seized a number of weapons shipments recently they describe as coming from Iran heading to Yemen. Iran denies arming the Houthis, despite weapons seized mirroring others seen on the battlefield in the rebels바카라 hands. A United Nations arms embargo bars nations from sending weapons to the Houthis.
It remains unclear, however, what this means for America. Though long viewed as guaranteeing Mideast energy security, regional leaders have grown increasingly wary of Washington바카라s intentions after its chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the announced deal.
