Saudi Armed Forces Chief Visits Iranian Counterpart for Rare Meeting | Politics News

Iran’s General Mohammad Bagheri calls for increased security cooperation between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s top military official has visited Tehran for talks with Iranian officials. It was a rare high-level meeting since relations between the two countries were restored last year, Iranian state media reported.

Chief of General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces Fayyad al-Ruwaili met his Iranian counterpart, General Mohammad Bagheri, at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

“The development of defense diplomacy and the expansion of bilateral cooperation are among the main topics of this meeting,” it said.

The country’s Fars news agency said Bagheri called for increased security cooperation between the two countries at the meeting.

“We would like the Saudi Navy to take part in the Iranian naval exercises next year either as a participant or as an observer,” Fars quoted Bagheri as saying.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iranian media reported.

Pezeshkian told the crown prince that he would not be able to attend a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh due to his busy schedule and would send Iran’s first vice president as a representative, Mehr news agency said

Tohid Assadi, an expert on Iranian affairs, told Al Jazeera that the meeting between the two army chiefs could be seen as a step forward in Iran-Saudi relations.

“This visit will also take place after the election [Donald] Trump in the USA, who promised peace [the Middle East]. However, there is still a chance that tensions could rise. So Iran and Saudi Arabia are actually trying to make sure that everything is on the right track,” Assadi said.

“They’re trying to build some kind of confidence when it comes to collective action against collective threats,” he added.

Tehran and Riyadh cut ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests against the execution of Shiite leader Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh.

The two countries have also long supported opposing sides in regional conflict areas, particularly in Syria and Yemen.

In March 2023, the two nations agreed through Chinese mediation to resume relations after seven years of hostility.

In November 2023, Iranian state media reported that Bagheri had a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud to discuss regional developments and improve defense cooperation between the two countries.