The dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which has faltered in recent months, is expected to move forward soon. At the beginning of the week, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdel Lahyan, stated that Iraq is working to hold another round of talks between the two countries.
In an interview with local media, the Iranian Foreign Minister said: "Normalizing relations with Riyadh will be in the interest of both sides and the countries of the region."
He even confirmed that some of the understandings between the parties have already been implemented, while other issues are under discussion.
Also, the Iranian official hoped that the dialogue would lead to a suitable atmosphere for the reopening of the embassies in the two countries, which have remained closed since the severance of relations in 2016.
The crisis began following the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, and was simultaneously fueled by what Riyadh saw as Iranian subversion.
Saudi Foreign Minister Ben Farrakhan, photo: AFP
These things were not said in a vacuum.
Last December, Abdel-Lahyan met with his Saudi colleague Faisal bin Farhan.
So far, five other rounds of talks have been held between senior Iranian and Saudi officials in Iraq.
The last round took place in April 2022 and ended in a particularly optimistic atmosphere, but the lack of trust between the parties delayed the progress of the dialogue.
The mutual suspicion was expressed in the war in Yemen, where the Houthi militia receives support from Tehran.
Also, the enthusiasm of Saudi media in extensive coverage of the protests in Iran contributed to this.
At the same time, the Saudi Foreign Minister sharpened the tone towards Israel against the background of the wave of Palestinian terrorism in the country.
"Settlement will not lead to peace."
An outpost in Samaria, archive, photo: Naama Stern
Just a week ago he stated that settlement construction "will not lead to peace", in response to the decision to settle nine outposts in Judea and Samaria.
"We need to create a solution to the Palestinian issue and stop the Israeli escalation," the minister clarified.
Sources told "Bloomberg" that officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia held meetings in preparation for the gathering of the latest working group of the US-Gulf Cooperation Council, regarding the security of Saudi Arabia. Additional contacts were expected to take place in Europe.
Cool relationship.
President of the United States Joe Biden, photo: AFP
The two-lane policy
Experts on Saudi Arabia who spoke to "Israel Today" stated that the normalization of relations between the countries is not in sight, and that if any progress is made - it will only be partial.
The experts also noted that this depends on the US and what it can offer to Saudi Arabia, and that in this context the US presidential elections in November 2024 will be particularly significant, since a victory by a Republican candidate may change the picture.
After all, the chilly relationship between Democratic President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is no diplomatic secret.
Against the background of these words, it is possible that Riyadh prefers at this stage to maintain only secret relations with Jerusalem, in order to facilitate progress in the Iranian diplomatic channel.
Both paths - the dialogue with Iran and the contacts with Israel - serve the security interests of the Arab kingdom.
One way or another, as of now full and official normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia seems far away.
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