Saudi armed forces chief visits Iranian counterpart for rare meeting

Iran’s General Mohammad Bagheri calls for accrued information practice betwixt nan 2 countries.

Saudi Arabia’s apical subject charismatic has visited Tehran for talks pinch Iranian officials successful a uncommon high-level gathering since nan countries restored ties past year, Iran’s authorities media reported,

General Chief of Staff Fayyad al-Ruwaili of nan Saudi equipped forces met his Iranian counterpart, General Mohammad Bagheri, astatine nan Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Headquarters successful Tehran connected Sunday, Iran’s charismatic news agency IRNA reported.

“The improvement of defence diplomacy and nan description of bilateral practice are among nan main topics of this meeting,” it added.

The country’s Fars news agency said that Bagheri called for accrued information practice betwixt nan 2 countries astatine nan meeting.

“We would for illustration nan Saudi navy to subordinate Iranian naval exercises adjacent year, either arsenic participants aliases observers,” Fars quoted Bagheri arsenic saying.

Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said pinch Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman connected nan phone, Iranian media said.

Pezeshkian told nan crown prince he would not beryllium capable to be a acme of nan Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) successful Riyadh owed to his engaged schedule, and would beryllium dispatching nan Iranian first vice president arsenic a representative, nan Mehr news agency said

Tohid Assadi, an Iranian affairs expert, told Al Jazeera that nan gathering betwixt nan 2 equipped forces chiefs could beryllium considered a measurement guardant successful Iran-Saudi relations.

“This sojourn besides takes spot aft nan predetermination of [Donald] Trump successful nan US, who promised bid successful [the Middle East]. However, nan anticipation of tensions ramping up is still here. So Iran and Saudi Arabia are so trying to make judge that everything is connected nan correct track,” Assadi said.

“They’re trying to build a benignant of assurance erstwhile it comes to corporate action against corporate threats,” he added.

Tehran and Riyadh severed ties successful 2016 aft Saudi negotiated missions successful Iran were attacked during protests complete Riyadh’s execution of Shia Muslim leader Nimr al-Nimr.

The 2 countries person besides agelong backed opposing sides successful location conflict zones, notably successful Syria and Yemen.

In March 2023, nan 2 nations agreed, via Chinese intermediation, to re-establish relations aft 7 years of hostility.

In November 2023, Iranian authorities media reported that Bagheri had held a telephone telephone pinch Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, to talk location developments and amended defence practice betwixt nan 2 countries.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies