Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The letter was personally delivered to Khamenei by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. On Thursday (April 17), the Saudi minister held a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran. He also held discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. However, the contents of the letter from the Saudi King have not been disclosed.
During the meeting, Khamenei expressed his support for building a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia. He told the Saudi minister, “We believe that a relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia will be beneficial for both sides, and the two countries can complement each other.”
He further stated, “Instead of relying on outsiders (the West), cooperative relations among the brothers of this region (countries) will help support one another.”
According to Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA, the meeting involved reviewing bilateral relations and discussing issues of mutual interest.
News outlet Al Arabiya reported that this is the first time since 2006 that Iran’s Khamenei has met a high-ranking Saudi official. In that year, then Saudi Defense Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal visited Tehran.
During his visit to Iran, the Saudi Defense Minister also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme Secretary of the National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri.
In the meeting, Iran’s President told the Saudi Defense Minister, “Iran and Saudi Arabia, through their joint capabilities and without any foreign intervention, can resolve the region’s issues.”
Notably, in March 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with China’s mediation. In 2016, after attacks by some Iranians on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran.