The Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid Bin Salman, arrived in Tehran on Thursday for a historic visit, the first by a Saudi High Royal for decades. The visit comes at a time of increased tensions in the Middle East, while Iran continues nuclear negotiations with the United States and Israel.
In an unprecedented decision, the Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Khalid Bin Salman, arrived in Tehran on Thursday for a rare diplomatic visit to strengthen defense relations and regional stability.
The visit marks the highest Saudi trip to Iran for decades, with the last visit of a senior Saudi official in 1997 under King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.
Prince Khalid, the son of the Saudi king Salman, will meet General de vien, General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, discussions focused on strengthening defense cooperation, regional peace efforts and the fight against terrorism.
According to the Iranian media ISNA, these key subjects highlight the growing efforts to stabilize the region.
The visit comes in the middle of the nuclear talks in progress between Tehran and the United States, while the two parties work towards a new nuclear agreement.
The Iranian Saudi dialogue also takes place in the shadow of climbing threats from the United States and Israel, which have warned of potential strikes on Iranian nuclear installations if negotiations vacillate.
Iran has firmly replied that any attack on its territory could trigger a broader regional conflict, the United States retaining a military presence in Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf States.
While the diplomatic thaw between Saudi Arabia and Iran began two years ago, after years of tense relations, Thursday’s meeting is particularly important due to the context of the broader geopolitical situation.
In 2016, Saudi Arabia broke diplomatic ties with Iran after Iranian demonstrators stormed the Arabian Embassy in Tehran, an event triggered by the execution of a Shiite religious in Saudi Arabia.
This event marked the beginning of a proxy war which has deeply had an impact on the region, in particular in Yemen, where the two nations supported the opposing parties in the current civil war.
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran has started to improve in recent years, especially after the two countries have signed a historic normalization agreement negotiated by China.
This process experienced military commitments, including joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman last October, and diplomatic visits, such as that of the Saudi chief of staff Fayyad al-Rawaili in Tehran in November.
Tensions have remained high, in particular with regard to conflict in Yemen, where the Houthi rebels supported by Iran have launched missiles to Saudi targets and water.
The Gulf States, distrusting conflict climbing, have expressed concerns about the potential for regional instability, in particular with regard to the security of vital oil infrastructure in the event of new strikes between Iran and Israel.
The visit of Prince Khalid Bin Salman, in the midst of these concerns, underlines the changing dynamic between Saudi Arabia and Iran while the two nations seek to manage their interests in the volatile region.
Discussions in Tehran this week should tackle not only military and defense issues, but also the broader objective of regional peace.
