Saudi Arabia's Armed Forces Chief Fayad Al-Ruaili visited Iran. He met with Iranian officials during the visit. It was a rare and high-level meeting after the restoration of relations between the two countries.
According to Iran's state media Irana, the meeting was held at the headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran last Sunday (November 10).
On this day, the chief of the Saudi forces, General Fayad Al-Ruaili, discussed with the Iranian General Chief of Staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, to increase diplomatic and defense relations. The meeting emphasized on enhancing defense diplomacy and bilateral cooperation.
According to Fars News Agency, General Bagheri invited the Saudi Navy to participate as a participant or observer in Iranian naval exercises next year.
Earlier, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian had a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pezeshkian informed the Saudi crown prince that he would not be able to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh due to his busy schedule. However, Iran's first deputy prime minister will be sent as a representative.
Experts see these meetings as an important step in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Tohid Asadi, an expert on Iran, said the visit could be a major step towards establishing peace in the Middle East. But there are also fears of rising tensions.
In 2016, after the Saudi diplomatic mission was attacked, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were severed. The two countries have long been on opposite sides in regional crises like Syria and Yemen. However, the two countries agreed to restore relations in 2023, mediated by China.
