“Tell Israel to respect the sovereignty of the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran,” Saudi Crown Prince urges int’l community

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has called on the international community to urge Israel “to respect the sovereignty of the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran and not to violate its lands,” speaking to Arab and Muslim leaders gathered for a summit.

Saudi Arabia, a Sunni-majority nation, and Iran, with a Shiite majority, have often been at odds in the region’s conflicts, including in Syria. In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government after Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and pushed toward the southern city of Aden.

Relations between Riyadh and Tehran further deteriorated in 2016, when Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests against Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

However, in March 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a rapprochement in a deal brokered by China. Despite persistent challenges in their relationship, the agreement is seen as a significant diplomatic success for Prince Mohammed, who has adopted a more reconciliatory stance in regional affairs.

Since then, Saudi Arabia and Iran have kept up high-level contacts, partly in response to the conflict that erupted in Gaza after the unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October of the previous year.

As part of this diplomatic outreach, Prince Mohammed had his first phone conversation with Iran’s then-president Ebrahim Raisi shortly after the war began, and Raisi visited Riyadh for a joint summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation a year ago.

In October, Saudi Arabia conducted joint military exercises in the Sea of Oman alongside Iran and other nations. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s top military figure, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, arrived in Tehran for discussions with Iranian officials.

Ahead of Monday’s summit, Prince Mohammed and Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, spoke by phone, though Pezeshkian was unable to attend due to “executive matters,” according to an Iranian government statement.

Instead, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref travelled to Riyadh. This summit follows the initial gathering held in November 2023.