In a rare move, Saudi Chief of Staff visits Iran

Saudi Arabia's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Fayyadh al-Ruwaili met Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday as part of a rare visit by a senior Saudi military officer to Iran, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

The agency said that Al-Ruwaili spoke with his counterpart, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, at the headquarters of the Iranian armed forces in Tehran, adding that "developing defense diplomacy and expanding bilateral cooperation are among the main topics of this meeting."

During the meeting, Major General Bagheri stressed "increasing the level of cooperation in defense fields" between the two countries, according to Fars News Agency.

"We want the Saudi Navy to participate in Iranian naval exercises next year with floating units or as observers," he added, according to the same source.

Iran resumed diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in March 2023 after a seven-year rupture, under an agreement brokered by China.

But military relations have remained rare, with the two countries supporting opposing camps in the region, particularly in Syria and Yemen.

According to the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqeri announced in late November 2023 that his country was “ready to strengthen military relations” with Riyadh, during a phone call with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.

In October, Saudi Arabia announced that it had conducted joint military exercises with the navies of Iran and other countries in the Arabian Sea.

The ministry's spokesman, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, confirmed that "the Royal Saudi Naval Forces conducted a joint naval maneuver with the Iranian Naval Forces, along with other countries, in the Arabian Sea."

But the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported at the time that Iranian forces had conducted "joint exercises with Russia and the Sultanate of Oman" in the "northern Indian Ocean", with the participation of six observer countries "including Saudi Arabia".

Iranian Navy Commander Admiral Shahram Irani said, "Saudi Arabia has requested to hold joint maneuvers in the Red Sea," without specifying the date of those maneuvers.

Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassim al-Araji is also expected to arrive in Tehran to hold meetings with senior Iranian officials.

Source: Agencies