Iran reiterated the need for a broader unity among the countries in the West Asia region during a rare visit of Saudi Arabia’s defense minister and member of its ruling family, Prince Khalid Bin Salman al-Saud to Tehran on Thursday, April 17. The minister met with several top Iranian officials including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and claimed his visit to Iran sought to expand the growing relations between two neighbors, Tehran Times reported.
During their meeting, Khalid Bin Salman reportedly delivered a message from King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to Khamenei.
After years of open hostility, the countries restored their diplomatic relations following an agreement in March 2023 under Chinese mediation. The Beijing agreement signed by both countries has since created new areas of cooperation and coordination.
Both the countries have since coordinated their moves in various issues of regional significance such as the war in Yemen and the Israeli war in Gaza. On Thursday, they also announced the formation of joint committees on political, economic, and security affairs.
During his meeting with Khalid Bin Salman, Khamenei expressed hope that the growing relationship between his country and Saudi Arabia would be mutually beneficial and complimentary. He also offered to share the Iranian advancements in technological fields with Saudi Arabia.
“It is much better for brothers in the region to cooperate and help each other rather than to rely on others,” Khamenei said. Without taking any name, he noted, however, that there are countries which are conspiring against the expansion of Saudi-Iran relations. He asserted that such hurdles must be overcome for a better relationship and “Iran is ready for it.”
Regional unity
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian also met with Khalid Bin Salman on Thursday. During the meeting he emphasized the need for enhanced regional cooperation. He claimed Saudi Arabia and Iran can play a central role in achieving that desired unity.
Pezeshkian noted that the region has been subjected to constant external intervention and several nations face attacks from the western-backed state of Israel, namely the Palestinian people. For the Iranian head of state, this is only possible because of the lack of unity among the countries in the region. He stated that if there was regional unity, “the zionist regime would not be able to create such a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged area.”
Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s position that regional countries need to resolve their disputes mutually and strengthen regional unity.
The Saudi defense minister also met Iran’s Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and several other top officials during his visit.
The visit acquires significance due to the repeated threats of aggression by Israel and the US over Iran’s nuclear program. Khalid Bin Salman is the first member of the Saudi royal family to visit Iran since 1997 when King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz visited the country.
Saudi Arabia is considered a very close ally of the US in the region and is home to several US military bases.
According to a report in the New York Times, Trump did not support Israel’s plans to launch strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites which was reportedly discussed during Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US capital earlier this month.
Despite the ongoing indirect talks between Iran and the US, the threats against Iran continue. President Donald Trump has repeated his threat to strike Iran as early as last week claiming Iran will never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran has repeatedly maintained that it has no intention of developing a nuclear weapon and its nuclear program is completely for peaceful purposes. It has also warned that any attack on its nuclear facilities would invite full response and may lead to a regional war.
