Top Saudi, Iranian Diplomats to Meet in China to Discuss End of “Era of US Involvement in Region”
A major meeting of top envoys from Saudi Arabia and Iran is expected to happen in Beijing on Thursday, as the next significant step in the China-brokered rapprochement and normalization of ties between the longtime enemies takes shape. A senior Iranian official also confirmed, “The top envoys agreed to meet on Apr. 6 in Beijing as the deal was facilitated by China.” On the agenda is expected to be the mutual reopening of embassies and appointment of ambassadors.
On the issue of China, the powerful US rival, leading the way in brokering peace, Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awasat newspaper cited a source in Riyadh to say that choosing China as host country for the meeting “came as an extension of Beijing’s positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries.”
The Saudis and Iranians also clash in supporting rival political factions inside Lebanon, with Tehran being the Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah’s biggest backer. For these reasons, accusations of supporting terrorism have been frequently hurled back and forth over the years. Iranian state media, for example, has long charged the Saudis with being a prime covert backer of the Islamic State (ISIS) in their drive to overthrow President Assad in Syria.
