Saudi-Iran - Central News Hub

World leaders welcome Saudi-Iran detente

The decision to re-establish relations came following talks that took place from March 6-10 in Beijing.

World leaders have welcomed the announcement that Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement to resume diplomatic relations which were severed in 2016.

The decision to re-establish relations came following talks that took place from March 6-10 in Beijing.

The announcement, which was made on Friday in a joint statement with China, has been welcomed across the globe as a victory for peace and dialogue.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement.

The French Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that the Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna supports dialogue and any initiative that can make a tangible contribution to calming tensions and strengthening regional security and stability.

Jordan on Friday welcomed the trilateral statement issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China on resuming diplomatic relations, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Amman expressing hope that this agreement would contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region, in a way that preserves the sovereignty of states while avoiding interference in their internal affairs, and serves common interests, Al Arabiya reported.

Pakistan said that it firmly believes that this important diplomatic breakthrough will contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs also affirmed the country support for this agreement, hoping that it would contribute to strengthening the pillars of security and stability in the region.

The Kingdom of Bahrain also welcomed the agreement. The Ministry also expressed hope that this agreement would constitute a positive step on the road to resolving differences and ending all regional conflicts through dialogue and diplomatic means.

It praised the leading role of Saudi Arabia in supporting security, peace, and stability, as well as in pursuing diplomacy in settling regional and international disputes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey also welcomed the agreement.

In a statement, it congratulated the two countries on the agreement, which it said contributes significantly to laying the foundations for security in the region, Al Arabiya reported.

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Baghdad to host new Iran-Saudi talks soon

Iran and Saudi Arabia have recently held four rounds of negotiations, brokered by Iraq, over resolving the diplomatic impasse between the two countries, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

The fifth round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia will be held in the Iraqi capital Baghdad to normalise bilateral relations, Iraj Masjedi, Tehran’s Ambassador to Iraq, told local media.

Without specifying the exact date of the talks and the details, Masjedi said on Friday that the meeting will be held “soon”, reports Xinhua news agency

Tehran has sent three diplomats to Saudi Arabia, as the Iranian delegation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to resume their activities in Jeddah after a six-year hiatus.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have recently held four rounds of negotiations, brokered by Iraq, over resolving the diplomatic impasse between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 in protest against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the Saudi execution of a Shia cleric.

Recently, Iran-backed Houthi rebels had carried out attacks with missiles and armed drones on the targets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Iran ian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian

Following this, the Saudi-led Coalition has launched air raids on Yemenis targets hosting Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition has intervened in the Yemeni war since March 2015, aiming to support the Yemeni government led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi who was forced into exile after the Houthi rebels took over most northern provinces, including the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in 2014.

Tehran’s frozen assets

Meanwhile, South Korea and Iran plan to hold working-level consultations next month in Seoul to discuss ways to untangle yearslong disputes over Tehran’s assets frozen here under US sanctions, a South Korean news agency quoted an informed source saying.

Bilateral relations remain frayed over $7 billion in Iranian funds locked in two Korean banks under US sanctions, which were reimposed after former President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal, Yonhap news agency reported.

The thorny issue has drawn renewed attention, with talks to revive the 2015 accord standing at a critical phase, as Iranian officials demand sanctions relief for an agreement.

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun (2nd from L) meets with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, in Vienna on Jan. 6, 2021, to discuss the issue of Tehran’s frozen assets under U.S. sanctions, in this photo provided by Seoul’s foreign ministry.(Yonhap/IANS)

Seoul officials say the proposed working groups are expected to go over details of a potential money transfer once sanctions are lifted and also discuss other aspects in the event of a no deal.

“The working groups are expected to mainly discuss details of the payment method of the Iranian assets if the US grants sanctions relief,” the source told Yonhap News on the condition of anonymity.

“They could talk further on the possibility of resuming oil imports from Iran once sanctions are lifted.”

Iran, which sits on the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves, had been a key oil supplier to resource-poor South Korea and in turn imported industrial equipment, household appliances and vehicle parts from Seoul.

South Korea imported $7.8 billion worth of oil from Iran in 2017, but it has stopped Iranian purchases since 2019 due to US sanctions that ban the Islamic republic’s oil exports, according to the data by the Korea International Trade Association.

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