High-ranking officials of Saudi Arabia and Iran lead direct negotiations to restore the diplotes torn five years ago, writes the Financial Times newspaper with reference to the sources.
According to the publication, negotiations, which were held on April 9 in Baghdad, through the mediation of the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Casemy, are “the first significant political discussions” between the two countries since 2016.
According to sources, negotiations included the topic of the attacks of Motion “Ansar Alla” (Husites) in Saudi territory and “were positive.” The delegation from Saudi Arabia was headed by the head of the General Intelligence Service Khalid Bin Ali Al-Humaydan. Sources report that the next round of negotiations is scheduled for the next week.
It is noted that negotiations took place against the background of US President Joe Bayden to restore the nuclear transaction and a decrease in tension in the region. Another factor that influenced the fact that Iran and Saudi Arabia sat down at the negotiating table is the desire of the latter to put an end to the six-year war in Yemen, as well as “win the benefits of the Biden administration, which promised to reconsider relations with the kingdom,” writes Financial Times.
According to a statement of one of the officials, which leads the newspaper, “negotiations are moving faster, because the negotiations of the United States (on a nuclear transaction) are also moving faster and due to the attacks of the Husites.”
At the same time, as the newspaper notes, a high-ranking Saudi official denied the fact of negotiations between Iran. Iraqi and Iranian government from comment refused.
Saudi Arabia broke out diplotes with Iran in January 2016 after they were attacked on her diplomatic confinement in Tehran and Meshawd, provoked by the execution in Saudi Arabia of the famous Shiite preacher Nimir An-Nimar. From solidarity with Er-Riyadh – one of the leaders of the Arab Sunni world – diplomatic relations with Iran stopped Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti.