Following Israel’s strikes, the Saudi crown prince and Iran’s FM discuss peace efforts.
The first time a senior Iranian official has visited the kingdom since Tehran’s brief war with Israel, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The meeting took place following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel that saw an unprecedented escalation. Following the bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities, the United States intervened to mediate a ceasefire. Tehran and Riyadh seem determined to keep up their recent rapprochement despite the severity of the fighting.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said that Araghchi and Prince Mohammed’s talks were “fruitful” and touched on a wide range of bilateral and regional topics.
The two leaders “reviewed bilateral relations and discussed the latest regional developments and the efforts being made in that regard,” according to SPA, Saudi Arabia’s official news agency. The Crown Prince reaffirmed the kingdom’s hope that “conditions that promote security and stability in the region” would result from the ceasefire.
He restated Riyadh’s position that regional conflicts should be settled diplomatically and through dialogue. Araghchi, for his part, said he was grateful that Saudi Arabia had denounced the Israeli military campaign that killed hundreds of people, including nuclear scientists and senior Iranian military leaders.
The Iranian foreign minister also met with Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Saudi defense minister Khalid bin Salman in addition to the Crown Prince.
A volatile series of events occurred in the region after the Israeli offensive on June 13, which Tehran has described as an unprovoked act of aggression. Iran retaliated with a missile attack on a US base in Qatar after the United States hit strategic Iranian nuclear sites after the Israeli bombardment. Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire, the situation de-escalated.
Although the conflict caused tensions in the region, Iran seems determined to mend fences with its neighbors in the Gulf. Araghchi’s visit, according to analysts, is an attempt by Tehran to reassure Riyadh and other Arab capitals of its ongoing interest in diplomatic relations.
Following an agreement mediated by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia formally reestablished diplomatic relations in 2023, bringing an end to years of animosity characterized by accusations of regional meddling by both countries.
Saudi Arabia had emphasized the kingdom’s preference for diplomacy over conflict by endorsing Iran’s participation in nuclear negotiations with the US prior to the most recent escalation.
Araghchi accused Israel of purposefully inciting conflict to thwart diplomatic efforts in remarks that were published in the Financial Times on Tuesday. He stated that any new talks with the US would need a “genuine readiness” for a fair conclusion, but that “Iran remains interested in diplomacy, but we have good reason to have doubts about further dialogue.”
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, indicated on Monday that he is open to having talks with Washington, but he also noted that trust is still a major barrier in the wake of recent US strikes on Iranian facilities.
