Middle East Desk
Report
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom’s arch-nemesis Iran, saying he sought “good” relations, after sources said the rivals held secret talks in Baghdad.
The two countries, locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance, cut ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the kingdom’s execution of a revered Shia cleric.
“Iran is a neighbouring country, and all we aspire for is a good and special relationship with Iran,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview broadcast late on Tuesday. “We do not want Iran’s situation to be difficult. On the contrary, we want Iran to grow and to push the region and the world towards prosperity.”
He added that Riyadh was working with regional and global partners to find solutions to Tehran’s “negative behaviour”. That marks a change in tone compared to Prince Mohammed’s previous interviews, in which he lashed out at Tehran, accusing it of fuelling regional insecurity.
The prince did not mention any negotiations with Tehran. The talks in Baghdad, facilitated by Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhemi, remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting had been held on April 9. An Iraqi government official confirmed the talks to media, while a Western diplomat said he had been “briefed in advance” about the effort to “broker a better relationship and decrease tensions”.
Riyadh has officially denied the talks in its state-backed media while Tehran has stayed mum, asserting only that it has “always welcomed” dialogue with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposite sides of several regional conflicts, from Syria to Yemen.
