*
Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for attacks, which Iran
denies
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China hails deal as a victory for dialogue
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Agreement announced after four days of talks in Beijing
(Adds comment from Kirby, support from Bahrain, Kuwait,
Turkey.)
By Parisa Hafezi, Nayera Abdallah and Aziz El Yaakoubi
DUBAI/RIYADH, March 10 (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia
agreed on Friday to re-establish relations after years of
hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf
and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to
Syria.
The deal, brokered by China, was announced after four days of previously undisclosed talks in Beijing between top security officials from the two rival Middle East powers. Tehran and Riyadh agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies within two months, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. "The agreement includes their affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs," it said. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. The kingdom also has blamed Iran for missile and drone attacks on its oil facilities in 2019 as well as attacks on tankers in Gulf waters. Iran denied the charges. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has also carried out cross-border missile and drone attacks into Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition fighting the Houthis, and in 2022 extended the strikes to the United Arab Emirates. Friday's agreement, signed by Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, and Saudi Arabian national security adviser Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, agreed to re-activate a 2001 security cooperation accord, as well as another earlier pact on trade, economy and investment. China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, described the deal as a victory for dialogue and peace, adding that Beijing would continue to play a constructive role in addressing tough global issues. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Saudi Arabia had kept the United States informed about the talks in Beijing but Washington had not been directly involved. He said Washington had supported the process as promoting an end to the war in Yemen.
"This is not about China. We support any effort to
de-escalate tensions in the region. We think that's in our
interests, and it's something that we worked on through our own
effective combination of deterrence and diplomacy," Kirby said.
Long-standing strategic ties between Riyadh and Washington
have been strained during President Joe Biden's administration
over the kingdom's human rights record, the Yemen war and more
recently ties with Russia and OPEC+ oil production.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia's growing ties with China were
highlighted by the high-profile visit of President Xi Jinping
three months ago. Friday's announcement came on the day Xi
clinched a third term as China's president amid a host of
challenges.
'MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION'
Long at odds, Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively the two
leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, have
backed opposite sides in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria and
elsewhere.
Analysts say both sides stand to benefit from de-escalation,
as Iran seeks to undercut U.S. efforts to isolate it in the
region and Saudi Arabia tries to focus on economic development.
Fellow Gulf states the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar,
Bahrain and Kuwait welcomed restored Saudi-Iranian ties, as did
Iraq, Egypt and Turkey.
"Further regional instability is not in Saudi or Iranian
interest at the moment," said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a
political scientist at Rice University's Baker Institute in the
United States.
"And for the Chinese to have addressed this at a time when
the U.S. stance toward Iran is becoming more hawkish sends a
powerful signal in itself."
Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in
remarks carried by state television, said Riyadh "favoured
political solutions and dialogue."
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian hinted at
more to come.
"The neighborhood policy, as the key axis of the Iranian
government’s foreign policy, is strongly moving in the right
direction and the diplomatic apparatus is actively behind the
preparation of more regional steps," Amirabdollahian wrote on
Twitter.
A senior Iranian official said addressing tensions with
Saudi Arabia had become a top priority for Tehran and would help
resolve long-running talks on Iran's nuclear program.
"It will encourage the West to reach a nuclear agreement
with Iran," the official told Reuters.
Saudi Arabia and its allies have long pressed global powers to address their fears about Iran's missile and drone programs in their efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran. Cinzia Bianco, research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Riyadh had been seeking security guarantees from the Iranians. Iran may also have responded positively to Riyadh's calls for it to "actively push the Houthis to sign a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia that frees the Saudis from the Yemen war which has become a quagmire," Bianco said.
"If those two (issues) are in place I am confident and positive about the deal." Prince Faisal said in January progress was being made towards ending the Yemen conflict, and on Friday Houthis in Yemen and Iran-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon welcomed the agreement. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ TIMELINE-Iran and Saudi Arabia: Key developments towards resumption of ties ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington and Dubai newsroom; Writing by Dominic Evans and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jason Neely, Jon Boyle, Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson and Daniel Wallis)
