Iran’s Normal Mohammad Bagheri requires elevated safety cooperation between the 2 nations.
Saudi Arabia’s prime navy official has visited Tehran for talks with Iranian officers in a uncommon high-level assembly because the nations restored ties final yr, Iran’s state media reported,
Normal Chief of Workers Fayyad al-Ruwaili of the Saudi armed forces met his Iranian counterpart, Normal Mohammad Bagheri, on the Iranian Armed Forces Normal Workers Headquarters in Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s official information company IRNA reported.
“The event of defence diplomacy and the enlargement of bilateral cooperation are among the many major matters of this assembly,” it added.
The nation’s Fars information company mentioned that Bagheri referred to as for elevated safety cooperation between the 2 nations on the assembly.
“We want the Saudi navy to affix Iranian naval workout routines subsequent yr, both as contributors or observers,” Fars quoted Bagheri as saying.
Individually, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the cellphone, Iranian media mentioned.
Pezeshkian informed the crown prince he wouldn’t be capable to attend a summit of the Group of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh on account of his busy schedule, and can be dispatching the Iranian first vp as a consultant, the Mehr information company mentioned
Tohid Assadi, an Iranian affairs knowledgeable, informed Al Jazeera that the assembly between the 2 armed forces chiefs might be thought-about a step ahead in Iran-Saudi relations.
“This go to additionally takes place after the election of [Donald] Trump within the US, who promised peace in [the Middle East]. Nonetheless, the potential of tensions ramping up remains to be right here. So Iran and Saudi Arabia are certainly making an attempt to make it possible for all the pieces is heading in the right direction,” Assadi mentioned.
“They’re making an attempt to construct a form of confidence on the subject of collective motion towards collective threats,” he added.
Tehran and Riyadh severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran have been attacked throughout protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shia Muslim chief Nimr al-Nimr.
The 2 nations have additionally lengthy backed opposing sides in regional battle zones, notably in Syria and Yemen.
In March 2023, the 2 nations agreed, by way of Chinese language intermediation, to re-establish relations after seven years of hostility.
In November 2023, Iranian state media reported that Bagheri had held a cellphone name with Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, to debate regional developments and enhance defence cooperation between the 2 nations.
