NOURNEWS- Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, arrived in Riyadh on Thursday in his first visit to Saudi Arabia after the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries in March of last year.
Amir-Abdollahian's visit to Riyadh was made with the official invitation of Faisal bin Farhan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia. Farhan, on June 17, during his trip to Tehran, while meeting with Iranian officials, submitted the invitation letter of Sultan Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to Ayatollah Raisi, the president of our country.
On Friday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met and talked with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, so that after years of stagnation in the relations between the two countries, the highest level of consultations between the Iranian Foreign Minister and the top officials of Saudi Arabia will be held in the capital of this country.
During the visit of Iran's foreign minister to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, the new ambassador of Iran in Riyadh, also accompanies Amir-Abdollahian. In the framework of the agreements reached between Tehran and Riyadh, the introduced ambassadors of the two countries are supposed to start their activities in the capital.
The Iranian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate general of our country in Jeddah were reopened on June 6 and 7, with the presence of some Iranian and Saudi officials, after seven years of suspension.
Iran’s FM’s trip to Riyadh, during which he met his Saudi counterpart for the fourth time since the resumption of diplomatic relations, is considered a serious development in the bilateral relations between Tehran and Riyadh from the point of view of the impact of the relations between the two countries on regional equations and international stage is also very important.
This trip takes place while the US, in a questionable move is strengthening its military presence in the Persian Gulf region, and by doing so, has once again started its damaging movements in the region under the pretext of creating security in commercial shipping lines.
At the same time, the Pentagon announced the deployments of new warships along with three thousand marines to the region; According to the Pentagon, the mission of these forces is a response to Iran's recent efforts to threaten the free flow of trade in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters.
Although the new American military campaign in the region was carried out with an Iran-phobic and anti-Iran gesture, it is very clear that the decision to carry out this action was made after the Arab countries of the region distanced themselves from Washington and got closer to China, Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. By revising its previous policies that peaked during Donald Trump's presidency, America is now trying to strengthen its military presence in the region while maintaining a balance against emerging competitors, and while pressuring its traditional partners in the Persian Gulf region, prevent them from developing their of relations and establishing any deep ties with America's competitor.
The developments of recent years at the regional and international level have made the traditional partners of the US in the Persian Gulf face the undeniable fact that the US has significantly distanced itself from its past influence and ability, and the past order and dominating order in the international stage, whose main feature was Washington's centrality in global developments, is rapidly collapsing.
It is clear, the decrease in the security dependence of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region on the US in recent years is rooted in the undeniable facts of the decline of Washington's hegemony in the region, which can be seen in the serious failures of the US in its wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
In such a situation and after Washington officially declares the reason for its new military campaign in the region as the development of Iran's threats, the Saudi Foreign Minister, in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, expressed Riyadh's determination to open a new chapter in its relations with Tehran. He spoke and said: "I assured my Iranian counterpart that we are looking forward to a new stage in the relations between the two countries."
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan also said in a joint press conference with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, referring to the bilateral and regional aspects of Iran’s FM’s visit to Riyadh: "Our emphasis is on honest will and serious determination to adjust the provisions of the agreement that It will lead to strengthening regional stability."
In the meantime, the announcement of the acceptance of Sultan Salman's invitation by Ayatollah Raisi and his upcoming trip to Riyadh will put the relations between the two countries on a completely different path.
Although it is still not possible to make an accurate judgment about the future dimensions of Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, the new chapter of relations between the two countries will definitely be an important part of the puzzle of the new order being formed in the region.
The intelligence of both sides in using the regional capacities in political and economic dimensions to create a balance between geopolitical approaches with common Geoeconomic goals is the most important action that can continue the started path, guaranteeing the formation of stable relations based on the interests of the two countries and to develop stability and security in the region.
BY: Pooya Mirzaei
NOURNEWS