Donald Trump’s fail in 2020 US Presidential Election changed many equations in the Middle East with Iran and Saudi Arabia efforts to mend fences being one of them.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh recently reacted to Saudi Foreign Minister Faysal Bin Farhan who said the kingdom welcomed dialog with Iran, saying that Iran has always been seeking peace and stability in the Persian Gulf region.
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Republica, Farahan expressed hoped that ongoing talks between Tehran and Riyadh would lead to solving disagreements.
This was not the first positive statement from Saudi officials. Asked about the possibility of reestablishing ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Saudi Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said that Iran was ultimately a neighbor and the kingdom hoped to establish a good and distinctive relationship with Iran. The statements were warmly welcomed by Iran.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have so far held three rounds of talks in Baghdad, according to Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who said last month that they wait for the new administration in Iran to take office.
Observers highlight some several reasons behind Saudi Arabia’s change in mind, including its entanglement in the war in Yemen, overall change in US regional policy by the new administration and the ongoing talks between Iran and world powers to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Resuming talks to reestablish relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia does not necessarily mean that all disagreements have been solved.
Despite positive statements on dialog with Iran, Saudi officials have repeatedly criticized Iran and questioned its regional policies.
Bin Farhan recently said that Tehran should prove its commitment to the security and stability of the region. This is while Saudi Arabia has imposed a devastating war on Yemen for six years now, causing a humanitarian crisis in the country.
Elsewhere, in a conversation with the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Bin Farhan had highlighted the importance of existence of a mechanism to enable the nuclear watchdog to conduct quick and inclusive inspections from all Iranian nuclear sites.
Also, Saudi Arabia’s mission in the UN expressed concern over Iran’s 20 percent uranium enrichment efforts, casting doubt over ‘Iran’s real objectives’ behind the effort.
However, Iran and Saudi Arabia’s adoption of diplomacy and dialog to solve disagreements is seen by observers as a positive procedure which will pave the way for considerable de-escalation.
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