Is Saudi Arabia 'ready to turn page' on Iran?
A shifting regional landscape may force a reset in Riyadh and Tehran; armed groups backed by the United States and Turkey battle outside Aleppo.
Signs of Saudi Arabia-Iran thaw
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Al Mayadeen TV on Sept. 6, “We are prepared to cooperate with Islamic countries on all issues that are important to the Islamic world. … If the Saudi government is ready to turn the page, Iran is ready for that as well."
Although Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir termed Zarif’s gesture as “laughable,” there are signs that a slow thaw may be in the works, the result of a shifting regional landscape.
The Iran-Saudi Arabia fault line runs deep, as they back different sides in the Syria and Yemen wars. In September 2015, Iranian officials blamed Saudi officials for mismanagement following a stampede during the hajj in Mecca that left over 2,400 dead, including more than 400 Iranians. In January 2016, Iranian crowds ransacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran following the kingdom’s execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Riyadh broke ties with Iran soon after.
