Iran's Pezeshkian says 'no place for hostility' with Saudi Arabia, ready to visit Riyadh

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed at a press conference in Tehran on Monday his willingness to improve Iranian-Saudi relations, calling the two nations "brothers" and adding that he would visit Riyadh when the opportunity presented itself. 

In his first press conference since assuming office in July, Pezeshkian spoke about the possibility of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visiting Iran. “We are brothers, so there is no place for hostility. I welcome any move that can solve the differences between Muslims,” he told the press.

China brokered a deal between Riyadh and Tehran in March 2023 to restore diplomatic ties and revive a 2001 security cooperation agreement, following seven years of severed bilateral ties. The deal led to both Iran and Saudi Arabia reopening their embassies, yet ties between the two nations remain fragile, with little to no progress in the economic and business areas. 

Pezeshkian rejected recent allegations by the United States and its European allies of Iran sending ballistic missiles to Russia. “Iran and Russia, we are working together. … We don’t want to take the side of the belligerent party (in the Russia-Ukraine war). … But … we’ll continue to have relations with Russia.”