Iran’s president slams Israel in meeting with top Saudi diplomat in Tehran

Al Arabiya News – June 17th , 2023

By: Yaghoub Fazeli

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Tehran on Saturday, where he strongly criticized Israel.

Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March that they had reached an agreement, brokered by China, to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of no formal ties.

“Only the enemies of Islam, led by the Zionist regime (Israel), are upset with the progress in bilateral and regional cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Raisi told Prince Faisal, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Raisi also expressed his opposition to efforts aimed at normalizing relations with Israel, saying: “The Zionist regime is not only an enemy of the Palestinians, it is a threat to all Muslims. The normalization of relations with Israel not only fails to promote security but also goes against the opinions of the Islamic Ummah.”

The Saudi foreign ministry said the discussions between Prince Faisal and President Raisi focused on reviewing bilateral relations and exploring avenues to strengthen and expand cooperation across various domains.

The two officials also exchanged views on recent developments in the regional and international arenas, and highlighted the ongoing efforts being made in these areas, it added.

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The two held bilateral talks at the Iranian foreign ministry’s building, which were followed by a joint press conference.

Prince Faisal described the talks as “positive” and said the discussions “stressed the necessity of non-interference in internal affairs.”

He added that Riyadh hopes the restoration of relations with Tehran will have a positive impact, both regionally and internationally.

Prince Faisal also said: “I would like to refer to the importance of cooperation between the two countries on regional security, especially the security of maritime navigation… and the importance of cooperation among all regional countries to ensure that it is free of weapons of mass destruction.”

The top Saudi diplomat said that he would extend an invitation from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia.

Amir-Abdollahian said that the two sides explored the establishment of a “joint economic, political and border committee.”

Under the deal signed in March, Riyadh and Tehran agreed to reopen embassies and consulates in each other’s territories and implement security and economic cooperation agreements that were signed over 20 years ago.

Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 following an attack by pro-regime protesters on its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad.

Iran reopened its embassy in Riyadh earlier this month. Saudi Arabia has not yet said when it will reopen its embassy in Tehran, but an Al Arabiya correspondent reported on Saturday that the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad will resume operations after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which is expected to begin in late June and end at the start of July.