Iran and Saudi Arabia they had been at war with each other for almost a decade through like-minded groups and sporadic attacksstruggling to be the hegemonic pole of a region, middle eastfraught with local conflicts in which both Riyadh and Tehran they wanted—and want—to be dominant and have the singing voice.
This Friday, however, something has changed between the two countries, the two great rivals in the region: Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed reopen their respective embassies in the other country and, what seems more important, a cessation of hostilities Between both.
“We agreed to restore our relations and diplomatic missions in a maximum period of two months. Our agreement also includes the affirmation of respect the sovereignty of the other State and non-interference in the internal affairs [del otro país]& rdquor ;, reads a statement signed by both Iran and Saudi Arabia and China: Riyadh and Tehran have made this agreement after four days of secret negotiations in beijing, with the mediation of the Chinese government. In 2021, delegations from both countries had already met, also, in Oman and Iraq, neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 2016, when the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked by a group of Iranian citizens who were protesting against the execution of a Shiite cleric, the shaykh nimr al nimrin Saudi Arabia. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia see themselves as the two main representatives of the two great branches of islamShiism and Sunniism.
regional disputes
The conflict between the two countries, however, comes from much earlier. Iranians and Saudis support warring factions in several conflicts in the region, including the one in Syriathe one of Yemen and in the Lebanonwhose prime minister, for example, was kidnapped and sent to Riyadh in 2017 after his forced resignation.
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In Syria, Iran supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Saudis, to the opposition; and in Yemen, a country bordering Saudi Arabia, Tehran supports the Houthi rebelswhich have launched several attacks against Saudi cities and oil installations in recent years with homemade drones whose manufacture, according to Riád, came from Iran. The last of these attacks was just a year ago, in March 2022, when a missile launched from Yemen hit 20 kilometers from the Saudi city of jeddah when a Formula 1 race was held in the town.
“Can eliminate our differences and disagreements and being able to focus on our joint visions for the future between Tehran and Riyadh will definitely lead to a improvement of the stability and security of the regionin addition to creating increased cooperation between two Islamic nations that must deal with the challenges of today’s world as neighbors in the Persian Gulf & rdquor ;, he said this Wednesday Ali ShamkhaniSecretary of the Security Council of Iran, man close to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khameneiand who has also been the leader of the Persian delegation in Beijing.