Saudi Arabia needs enhanced maritime safety within the essential Gulf area as a part of its rapprochement with long-timerival Iran, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated on Saturday.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March, in a deal brokered by China, to finish a diplomatic rift and reestablish relations following years of hostility that had endangered regional stability together with within the Gulf, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.
“I would like to refer to the importance of cooperation between the two countries on regional security, especially the security of maritime navigation… and the importance of cooperation among all regional countries to ensure that it is free of weapons of mass destruction,” Prince Faisal stated.
Speaking after talks together with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran, Prince Faisal additionally stated the Saudi king and crown prince are trying ahead to Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi “accepting the invitation to visit the Kingdom soon, God willing”.
Amirabdollahian informed a televised joint media occasion that safety was important for regional nations.
“Iran has never equated security with militarism but sees it as a broad concept including political, cultural, social, economic and trade aspects,” he stated.
The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation for Riyadh’s execution of a outstanding Shiite cleric.
Tanker visitors by the Strait of Hormuz on the mouth of the Gulf – by which a fifth of the world’s oil passes – has turn out to be the main focus for a standoff between Iran and the United States, which has elevated its navy presence within the area in recent times.
Iran has just lately been attempting to fix its strained ties with a number of Gulf Arab states.
Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with Iran has left Israel largely alone because it has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically.
The United Arab Emirates, which was the primary Gulf Arab nation to signal a normalisation settlement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran final 12 months.
Bahrain and Morocco later joined the UAE in establishing ties with Israel.
(Reuters – Reporting by Hatem Maher in Cairo, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh and Dubai newsroom; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens and Mike Harrison)
