After years of tensions in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the former introduced its ambassador to Riyadh, hopefully to mark a new era of cooperation and friendly relations between the two regional powers.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this Sunday that it will send Alireza Enayati, its new ambassador to Saudi Arabia after seven years of the closure of Iran’s embassy in Riyadh.
The Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia reopened back in June, followed by its consulate in Jeddah and its representative office with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It is expected that following the introduction of the new Iranian ambassador Sunday, Enayati will be fully situated there within days. The Iranian Ministry also noted that Enayati will soon depart for Riyadh to lead Tehran’s diplomatic mission in the Kingdom.
Following his appointment as the new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Enayati met Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and presented his final report before departing Tehran to Riyadh. “We are serious, and we feel that Saudi Arabia is also serious in developing ties and deepening relations,” Enayati said during his meeting with Amirabdollahian.
“We are now seeing new conditions where the countries of the region are no longer just located on either side of the … Gulf but are playing a role in a joint effort, which could see security find a new definition and move away from its classical definition which was based on militarism,” he also noted.
Why no diplomatic relations for seven years?
The story of the cold war between Riyadh and Tehran began almost seven years ago when n 2016, demonstrators in Iran attacked Saudi missions in Tehran and Mashhad. The Saudi embassy building in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were set on fire with Molotov cocktails and petrol bombs. During the attacks, the police arrived and dispersed protesters from the embassy premises and extinguished the fire.
The attacks were later condemned by Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. The move was a response to the execution of Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a prominent Shia religious leader in the Sunni-majority kingdom even without trial. He was executed along with 47 other Shia Muslims for terrorism offenses on January 2, 2016.
Determined to put aside all the differences in the past, however, Tehran and Riyadh restored their diplomatic ties in March this year with China playing the role of the mediator. The announcement of an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia was not entirely unexpected because the two countries had gone through a series of negotiations over the last few years.
To read between the lines, the deal to officialize the restoration of ties was signed on March 10 following five rounds of direct talks hosted by Iraq and mediation and assistance from Oman.
The deal also has global importance as it is an example of China’s ongoing attempts to play a more substantial role in international diplomacy to challenge the United States’ status in the Middle East in particular and weaken the US and its global position in general. It was in fact an attempt by Beijing to present itself as an influential actor to restore peace, stability, and multipolarity in the world.
Enayati, an experienced diplomat, was previously Iran’s envoy to Kuwait and a Foreign Ministry deputy for regional affairs. He had a trip to Riyadh last month to help prepare the embassy for his arrival this September.
It is believed that the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad have also been reopened, with Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, the country’s ambassador to Oman, reportedly selected as the new envoy to Tehran. No official from either side, however, has yet confirmed the details.
