Saudi defense minister visits Iran in highest-level trip in decades as nuclear talks proceed
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud arrived in Tehran on Thursday, marking a rare visit by a senior Saudi royal to the Islamic Republic. He met with Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces.
According to Iranian news outlet ISNA, the two discussed “developing defense relations and regional cooperation to strengthen peace and stability in the region, as well as combating terrorism.”
This visit is the highest-level trip by a Saudi royal to Iran since 1997, when then-King Abdullah visited during the presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami. Prince Khalid is the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The meeting comes amid ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and the United States. The negotiations have drawn threats from the US and Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear sites if talks collapse. Iran has warned that any attack could spark a wider regional war.
The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the visit, saying the two officials would hold several meetings to discuss bilateral relations and shared concerns. Notably, General Bagheri is also a military officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Saudi Arabia designates as a terrorist organization.
Saudi-Iranian ties were severed in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran. For years, the two sides backed opposing forces in regional conflicts, most notably in Yemen.
Relations began to thaw two years ago, culminating in a normalization deal brokered by China. The visit is the latest sign of warming ties.
Last year, the two countries held their first joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman. In November, Saudi Arabia’s military chief Fayyad al-Ruwaili also visited Tehran.
Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, have expressed concern about being drawn into Iran’s tensions with Israel and the US. In recent years, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have reportedly told both the US and Iran they would not allow Israel to use their airspace for strikes against Iran.
Credit: CNN
