As China engineered a deal to mend relations between the regional foes, Iran and Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministers convened in Beijing on Thursday for the first formal meeting of their top diplomats in more than seven years.
A significant agreement brokered by China last month saw Iran and Saudi Arabia resolve their diplomatic dispute and reopen embassies after years of antagonism that fueled tensions throughout the Middle East.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Hossein Amirabdollahian exchanged greetings and then sat side by side in a brief clip shown on Iranian official television.
In a joint statement, the two nations said they will begin planning to reopen embassies and consulates within the two-month window allowed.
“The technical teams will continue coordination to examine the ways of enhancing cooperation,” they said. “This includes facilitating the granting of visas for citizens of the two countries and resuming flights and bilateral visits of official and private sector delegations.”
In a sign of China’s expanding influence in the region, President Xi Jinping of China assisted in brokering a surprising agreement in March between Iran and Riyadh, two regional enemies, to heal a seven-year schism and reestablish diplomatic ties.
Xi and Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Saudi Crown Prince, chatted on the phone in March and discussed a number of topics.
After its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two nations over Riyadh’s murder of a Shia preacher, Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016.
In the meantime, the monarchy evacuated its embassy workers from Tehran and demanded that Iranian diplomats depart within 48 hours.
After Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined in the Yemen war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement overthrew a Saudi-backed government and seized control of the capital, Sanaa, the relationship started to deteriorate a year earlier.
The agreement might lead to better security for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has accused Iran of arming the Houthis, who attacked its cities and oil facilities with missiles and drones.
In 2019, Riyadh directly blamed the Islamic Republic for a catastrophic attack on Aramco oil facilities that cut off half of its oil production. Tehran refuted these claims.
