Saudi Chief of Staff visits Iran to discuss opportunities for developing military and defense relations
The Chief of the Saudi General Staff, Lieutenant General Fayyadh bin Hamed al Ruwaili, discussed in Iran on Sunday “opportunities to develop bilateral relations between the two countries in the military and defense fields”.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense reported, via its verified account on X, “Under the direction of the leadership, the Chief of the General Staff visits the Islamic Republic of Iran and meets with the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces (Major General Mohammad Bagheri)”.
During the meeting, “opportunities for developing bilateral relations between the two countries in the military and defense fields were discussed, in a way that contributes to enhancing security and stability in the region”.
According to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, the Chief of Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces arrived in Tehran this afternoon (Sunday) at the head of a high-level delegation.
The official Iranian news agency pointed out that in December 2023, Major General Baqeri held phone talks with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, “which addressed regional developments, raising the level of defense cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, and important issues in the Islamic world,” according to IRNA.
In September 2023, diplomatic representation between Saudi Arabia and Iran returned, for the first time since diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran were severed in 2016, and then it was agreed to resume them in March of the same year.
On March 10, 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of diplomatic relations, following Chinese-sponsored talks in the capital, Beijing.
