Saudi prince hosts top Iran diplomat for talks as regional tensions simmer
Kingdom’s Mohammed Bin Salman discusses thawing ties and regional developments with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Iran as Israeli retaliation for strike looms
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi discussed developments in the region at a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi state news agency reported.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has had a political rapprochement with Tehran in recent years, which has helped ease regional tensions, but relations remain difficult.
Speaking earlier, a senior Iranian official said Araghchi would discuss bilateral issues and efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza on his visit, adding that he will also visit Qatar later in the day.
The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel’s response to an Iranian missile attack last week. Tehran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1 in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel recently stepped up a military offensive against the terror group, which has harassed northern Israel with lethal rocket and drone attacks for a year.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel’s response to Iran would be “lethal, precise and especially surprising,” while describing Iran’s attack as a failure.
“The entire chain of command is in line and focused around this issue,” he told a military intelligence unit, according to a video released by his office.
Earlier this week, Tehran told Gulf Arab states it would be “unacceptable” if they allowed the use of their airspace or military bases against Iran and warned that any such move would draw a response, a senior Iranian official said.
Despite rekindling ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia has also flirted with the possibility of normalizing with Israel as part of a US-brokered arrangement, though chances for an agreement have largely faded due to the ongoing war in Gaza and Israel’s reluctance to make concessions toward Palestinian statehood.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that the US and unspecified Arab states had launched backchannel talks with Iran aimed at reaching a comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and various Iranian proxies that have attacked Israel repeatedly over the past year. The groups include Hezbollah, as well as Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iraq’s Popular Resistance militias.
