Iran and Saudi Arabia begin the thaw with the first contacts in five years

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh in Tehran last October Anadolu Agency / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Iran and Saudi Arabia have started direct talks to ease the tensions facing them with a view to restoring the relations they broke five years ago. The meeting in Baghdad earlier this month, which both countries have so far refused to officially confirm, appears to be the consequence of the shift in focus to the region brought about by the arrival of Joe Biden to the US presidency. In fact, it coincides with the The latter's attempt to reactivate the nuclear agreement with Tehran, something that is of great concern in Riyadh. A new appointment is scheduled this week.

A senior Saudi official was quick to deny anonymity the information revealed in this regard by the British newspaper

Financial Times

last Sunday. However, the Iranian Foreign spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, has been more ambiguous. "We have seen the media reports (...), although sometimes they have contradictory statements," he responded to journalists during his press conference on Monday. "The important thing is that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been favorable to dialogue with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because it favors the people of both countries, as well as peace and stability in the area," he added.

The news did not surprise Kawa Hassan, executive director of the Stimson Center for Europe and head of its Middle East program, who has been working for almost six years to build trust between experts from both countries through parallel diplomacy

(track 2,

in lingo).

“Due to the geopolitical changes in the region, it was to be expected.

And at some point Iran and Saudi Arabia will have a functional relationship again, ”he assures in conversation with EL PAÍS.

Hassan hopes that an eventual understanding between them will ease tensions in the region, especially in Iraq and Yemen.

For now, he warns, "it is only the beginning and we must not forget the existence of forces interested in its failure."

More information

• Saudi Arabia proposes ceasefire to Yemen's Huthi rebels after six years of war

• Intimate enemies

Relations between the absolute Saudi monarchy, which claims to be the leadership of Sunni Islam, and the Iranian regime, turned into a champion of Shiite Islam, have a long history of rivalry.

But they came to a complete halt in early 2016 following the execution in the kingdom of Sheikh Nimr al Nimr, a well-known Saudi Shiite cleric, and the ensuing assault on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.

Riyadh responded by withdrawing its ambassador, a move that was replicated by the Iranians.

Although there have been rumors of some encounters since then, it is the first time that significant political talks have been reported. The dialogue, which began on April 9 in Baghdad, began by addressing the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Huthi rebels, ideologically close to Iran. Leading the Saudi delegation was the head of the secret services, Khaled Bin Ali al Humaidan; It has not been revealed who his interlocutor was, although the Lebanese daily

Al Ajbar,

close to Hezbollah, assures that he was a senior official of the Supreme National Security Council. An Iranian source quoted by Reuters said it was "exploring whether there is any way to ease tensions in the region" in response to a request from Iraq.

Arab diplomatic sources support that version. "I do not have direct confirmation, but I understand that it occurred because the Iraqis have leaked it to hang the medal," a former ambassador and analyst from the area confided to EL PAÍS. In his opinion, "the Saudis are looking for a formula that allows them to leave Yemen without losing face, because they are very, very concerned with the outcome of the Vienna talks" for the return of the US to the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Riyadh has never hidden its opposition to that pact that the great powers signed with Iran in 2015 to limit its atomic program, for not also addressing its missile development and its support for regional militias. In fact, he celebrated the Donald Trump Administration abandoning him. Now, in the face of Biden's efforts to revive it, the Saudis are trying to have their interests taken into account, and are even asking to be included in meetings. In addition, for two years, they have been looking for a formula to get out of the Yemeni quagmire, something that fits in with the US president's commitment to a ceasefire.

Everything points to the fact that it has been the Iraqi Prime Minister himself, Mustafa al Kadhimi, who has promoted the thaw among his neighbors. Al Kadhimi, who last month met in Riyadh with the Saudi heir and de facto ruler, Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, would have used his good relations with Iran to facilitate the appointment. Since coming to power in May last year, the former head of the Iraqi secret services has tried to prevent his country from becoming another battleground for regional rivalries, a difficult goal when it is home to a powerful conglomerate of pro-Iranian militias bent on align Baghdad with Tehran despite its Arab roots.