In line with the policy of rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran that broke out this March, the former’s foreign minister will arrive in Tehran and meet Iranian officials this Saturday.
According to Iran’s state media reports, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will make a visit to Iran this coming Saturday.
During the visit, as the reports noted, bin Farhan is scheduled to have meetings and hold talks with Iranian officials. It is also expected that following the visit, Saudi Arabia will reopen its embassy in Tehran and formally resume diplomatic ties with its years-long rival in the region.
Confirming the reports, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the ground has been prepared for the reopening of the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. It was early in June that in a short statement, Kanaani said Tehran’s embassy in Riyadh will be reopened in a few days, and so will its consulate in Jeddah and its representative office with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
He also noted that the embassy and the consulate had already started operating to facilitate pilgrimages for the Hajj and now they will “be officially reopened in the presence of the two countries’ foreign ministry officials”. Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, which in turn was a reaction to the kingdom’s execution of a Shiite cleric named Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.
Al-Namir, a cleric who turned the world against Saudi Arabia
Nimr Baqir al-Nimr was an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, calling for more rights for the country’s marginalized Shiite community. His execution in January 2016 sparked a violent protest at the Saudi Embassy in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Protesters gathered outside the embassy, shouting “Death to Al Saud”, and throwing Molotov cocktails at it.
In one of his most famous speeches made in 2011, Nimr strongly criticized the Saudi government and said: “From the day I was born and to this day, I’ve never felt safe or secure in this country. We are not loyal to other countries or authorities, nor are we loyal to this country. What is this country? The regime that oppresses me? The regime that steals my money, sheds my blood, and violates my honor?”
But it was not just in Iran that people protested against Namir’s execution. A few hours after the news went viral and the world knew of the execution, massive protests were held in the UK, US, Canada, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Turkey, and in front of the Saudi Embassy in Athens, Greece, Washington, United States, and Canberra, Australia.
The restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia was welcomed by most countries around the world as a development that will enhance peace in the Middle East region.
Even the United States national security and foreign policy officials expressed cautious optimism about the development, although they were mostly concerned that it leaves Washington standing on the sidelines. It also marked China’s most notable and successful diplomatic engagement in the region to date, as the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh was in fact mediated by China.
