Iran and Saudi Arabia announced this Friday that they have reached an agreement to restore diplomatic ties broken by Riyadh in 2016 following attacks on their diplomatic headquarters in the Persian country.
The agreement between the two Middle Eastern powers was signed in China, where the two sides were conducting negotiations with Beijing’s support, according to a joint statement from the three countries.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have decided to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies within two months,” the statement said.
In recent years, there have been tensions between Iran [xiita] and Saudi Arabia [sunita] increased in tone and was exacerbated when Washington unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Tehran nuclear deal signed in 2015.
Since then, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia, including one in 2019 that targeted the heart of the Saudi oil industry and temporarily halved that country’s oil production.
US welcomes deal, but skeptical
The United States said on Friday it welcomes the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but doubted Tehran will honor its commitments.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that “we welcome the diplomatic agreement,” for example, if it leads to peace in Yemen, where the two regional powers support opposing sides.
“We’ll see. It remains to be seen whether the Iranians will keep their deal. This is not a regime that normally keeps its word,” Kirby said. “We would like to see an end to this war in Yemen and that this agreement can help us achieve that result,” he said.
Decades of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two “heavyweights” in the Middle East, have been tense for decades over religious rivalries and the struggle for influence in the region.
Key points in the history of tense relations between the two countries follow.
Iranian revolution and war
After the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in April 1979, after that year’s popular uprising, Sunni countries accused Tehran of planning to “export” the Shiite revolution in order to suppress it.
In 1980, Iraq attacked Iran, sparking an eight-year war in which Saudi Arabia financially supported the Iraqi regime.
Dead pilgrims, broken relationships
In 1987, security forces in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, crack down on an unauthorized anti-American demonstration organized by Iranian pilgrims. More than 400 people, mostly Iranians, are killed.
Angry Iranians looted the Saudi embassy in Tehran and in 1988 Riyadh severed diplomatic relations, which would last until 1991.
Opposition in Syria and Yemen
When the 2011 Arab Spring protests hit the region, Riyadh sent troops to Bahrain, where Shiites demonstrated in support of the revolution. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of fueling tensions.
The two rival countries clashed again in 2012, when the Syrian crisis erupted. Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia defends the rebels.
In Yemen, Riyadh formed a Sunni Arab coalition in 2015 to intervene on behalf of the Yemeni president in an attempt to defeat Tehran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.
Deadly stampede in Mecca
A stampede during the massive annual pilgrimage to Mecca in 2015 killed about 2,300 foreign pilgrims, including hundreds of Iranians.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei believes Saudi Arabia does not deserve to manage Islam’s holiest sites.
Relationship broken again
In 2016, Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a leading leader of anti-government protests, for “terrorism”.
The execution enrages Iran. Protesters attack Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Riyadh again cuts ties with Tehran.
Hezbollah, Qatar
In 2016, the Gulf Arab monarchies classed the powerful Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, as a “terrorist organization”.
In 2017, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation in Riyadh, arguing with Iran’s “control” of Lebanon through Hezbollah. Later, Hariri will recant.
The same year, Saudi Arabia and allies severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of maintaining “very close” ties with Iran and supporting extremism, which Doha denies. Saudi Arabia and its allies will restore relations in 2021.
Iranian nuclear
In 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned in an interview with a US television channel that if Tehran acquires nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia will do the same “as soon as possible”.
Mohammed bin Salman describes Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as “a new Hitler”.
“He wants to set up his own project in the Middle East, a bit like Hitler, who wanted to do the same thing at the time,” said the crown prince.
Restoration of relationships
Today, March 10, 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to “resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months,” according to a tripartite statement signed by Riyadh, Tehran and Beijing.
The agreement, brokered by China, was announced after the sides met in Beijing for several days to bridge their differences.
Source: DN
