Summary:
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amr Abdullahi in Jeddah, marking a significant step in improving relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
- The meeting follows recent efforts to mend the years of bitter rivalry that destabilized the Middle East.
- Saudi Arabia and Iran had been engaged in a long-standing competition for influence in various Middle Eastern countries.
- The unscheduled meeting occurred after Iran's Foreign Minister held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
- China played a role in brokering the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March, leading to the resumption of full diplomatic relations.
Further signs of a thaw in the years of bitter rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia that destabilized the Middle East. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amr Abdullahi in Jeddah on Friday, in the highest-level talk since the country's reconciliation.
Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, is the kingdom's de facto ruler. He has pushed to reorient Saudi foreign policy in recent years, amid questions over its historically close relationship with the United States. Amr Abdullahi said in a social media post after meeting the Crown Prince that discussions were frank, beneficial, and productive. The unscheduled meeting came a day after Amr Abdullahi arrived in the kingdom and held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Rivalry between Iran's revolutionary Shi'ite Muslim leaders and Saudi Arabia's Sunni ruling family dominated Middle Eastern affairs for years. They competed for influence in wars and political struggles in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016, after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric. But China brokered a rapprochement in March, and full diplomatic relations were resumed.
The meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amr Abdullahi marks a significant step toward improving relations between two regional powerhouses. As the Middle East witnesses these diplomatic developments, the world will be closely watching for further signs of progress in the complex and often tense relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran.