Israel

Iran, Saudi Arabia Agree to Restore Diplomatic Relations

Published MAR 10 2023

Story

Image credit: Saudi Press Agency/DPA/Reuters [via The Wall Street Journal]

The Facts

Iran and Saudi Arabia announced on Friday a Chinese-brokered agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations after years of open hostility and proxy conflicts across the Middle East.
nytimes
Iranian and Saudi state media reported that both countries agreed to reopen their embassies within two months, reimplement a security cooperation agreement signed in 2001, and not interfere in each other's internal affairs.
Al Jazeera
According to Iranian state media, reconciliation talks had been held in Beijing since March 6 as the PRC has been seeking to expand its diplomatic foothold in the Middle East, with its leader Xi Jinping visiting Riyadh last December to attend summits with more than a dozen Arab leaders.
CNN
This deal shakes up the geopolitics of the Middle East, indicating Beijing's growing influence in the region and potentially affecting the US-Israel efforts to form a regional coalition against Iran.
wsj
Riyadh and Tehran ended ties in 2016 after the Saudi embassy was stormed, with relations further deteriorating amid claims that the latter had carried out a drone attack on a Saudi oil facility in 2019 and that the first had funded media allegedly inciting mass protests in Iran in 2022.
www.ft.com
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a press call that the Saudis had kept Washington informed of the de-escalation deal and seemingly downplayed China's role by stating that this roadmap is the result of multiple rounds of talks.
CNBC

Sources Split

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The Spin

Republican narrative

This Chinese-brokered deal between US ally Saudi Arabia and US rival Iran reveals how disastrous the Biden admin. has been to US interests in the Middle East. By not showing a clear commitment to the interests of its regional allies, the White House has pushed them into the arms of China and Russia, its main geopolitical enemies.

FOX News

Democratic narrative

While the US and China are indeed competing for global leadership, Beijing's growing influence in the Middle East doesn't represent a threat to US interests – except in some specific areas in which it's moving to avert Chinese activism. China-brokered reconciliation talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have de-escalated tensions, which is also good for the US.

The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune