Saudi Foreign Minister Scheduled for Historic Visit to Tehran Following Diplomatic Thaw
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, will visit Tehran on Saturday, where he will meet with Iranian officials, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency said on Thursday.
It was not stated whether the Saudi minister would also meet with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Such a meeting could signal how strongly the Iranian regime values the restored ties between the two powers.
After years of hostility that endangered regional stability, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March to end their diplomatic rift and reestablish relations. The deal, brokered by China, ended the isolation of Iran after years of opposition from the oil-producing Arab Gulf states, which had been alarmed by Iran’s expanding regional military influence and its nuclear program. Iran officially reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia on June 7.
The brokering of the deal by China was seen as a setback to the US’s influence with Saudi Arabia. However, the Biden Administration welcomed the reduction of tensions and began its own overtures to reach agreements with Iran on certain issues, such as freeing US citizens detained in Tehran.
