Middle East Desk
Report
Baghdad: Senior Saudi and Iranian officials held direct talks in a bid to repair relations between the two regional rivals, according to a report in the Financial Times which quoted officials briefed on the discussions.
The first round of the reported talks, held four years after both sides cut off diplomatic ties, took place in Baghdad on April 9 and included discussions about attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group. Houthis say they attacked Aramco, Patriot targets in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia’s scramble for an exit strategy in YemenYemen: Little clarity on US vow to end aid to Saudi-led coalition
The unnamed official quoted in the report said the Saudi delegation was led by Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan, the kingdom’s intelligence chief, and another round of talks was also scheduled. There has been no comment from either side following the publishing of the report. The FT also said that a senior Saudi official denied there had been any talks with Iran.
Lebanon’s pro-Iran Al Mayadeen television channel and Unews news agency on Sunday both cited an Iranian source denying talks with Saudi Arabia. In recent weeks, Houthi fighters have stepped up missile and drone attacks, often targeting Saudi oil facilities and military points across the kingdom, saying they are in response to deadly Saudi air raids in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of smuggling weapons to the Houthis, who have control the Yemeni capital Sanaa since 2015.
The news comes as US and Iran try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal which Saudi Arabia has opposed.
