Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister (FM), Prince Faisal bin-Farhan al-Saud, has said the Kingdom would judge Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi by “the reality on the ground” regarding its nuclear programme and support to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“From our perspective, foreign policy in Iran is run by the supreme leader and therefore, we base our interactions and approach to Iran on reality on the ground. That is what we will judge the new government on, regardless of who is in charge,” the Saudi FM said during a press conference in Vienna on Tuesday. He said the Kingdom was “very concerned” about Iran’s nuclear programme and stressed that the ongoing Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal should “address seriously” all the outstanding issues.
Last week, Iran elected hardline cleric Raisi as the country’s new President. The Gulf states and the West fear that a Raisi-led Iranian government could pursue an aggressive foreign policy in the region, including expanding its proxy network in the Middle East and taking an uncompromising stand on its nuclear programme.
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During an interview in April, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman (MBS) called for improving bilateral ties with Iran. While MBS expressed concerns about Iran’s “nuclear programme, their support for regional proxies, and their ballistic missiles programme,” he hoped that both sides could resolve tensions so that relations continue to “grow and prosper.” Iran hailed MBS’ statements and welcomed the “change in Saudi Arabia’s tone.” Tehran stated that better ties with Riyadh were necessary to “achieve regional peace, stability, and development.”
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Both countries have had major issues with each other for a long time, and tensions spiralled out of control when Iranian mobs attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in 2016 over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shia cleric. Following the attacks, the Kingdom officially broke diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic.
Since then, both sides have clashed numerous times, especially in war-torn Yemen. Saudi Arabia has led an international coalition in the country, launching airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have also targeted Saudi energy infrastructure, including several Saudi Aramco facilities. MBS reiterated that Saudi Arabia was actively working to “find solutions” to these challenges.