AGL 39.50 Increased By ▲ 1.78 (4.72%)
AIRLINK 177.35 Increased By ▲ 8.70 (5.16%)
BOP 10.09 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (11%)
CNERGY 6.85 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
DCL 9.91 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-1.39%)
DFML 43.25 Increased By ▲ 2.61 (6.42%)
DGKC 98.65 Increased By ▲ 5.41 (5.8%)
FCCL 39.15 Increased By ▲ 1.23 (3.24%)
FFBL 82.49 Increased By ▲ 3.77 (4.79%)
FFL 14.39 Increased By ▲ 0.93 (6.91%)
HUBC 121.52 Increased By ▲ 7.42 (6.5%)
HUMNL 15.30 Increased By ▲ 0.35 (2.34%)
KEL 5.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.87%)
KOSM 8.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.97%)
MLCF 48.21 Increased By ▲ 2.72 (5.98%)
NBP 75.50 Increased By ▲ 0.58 (0.77%)
OGDC 197.75 Increased By ▲ 4.82 (2.5%)
PAEL 32.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.28%)
PIBTL 8.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.42 (-4.9%)
PPL 177.05 Increased By ▲ 9.67 (5.78%)
PRL 34.11 Increased By ▲ 3.10 (10%)
PTC 22.60 Increased By ▲ 0.52 (2.36%)
SEARL 103.00 Increased By ▲ 2.17 (2.15%)
TELE 8.45 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
TOMCL 35.13 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (0.83%)
TPLP 11.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.36%)
TREET 19.29 Increased By ▲ 0.66 (3.54%)
TRG 58.50 Decreased By ▼ -2.24 (-3.69%)
UNITY 34.80 Increased By ▲ 2.82 (8.82%)
WTL 1.59 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.24%)
BR100 11,651 Increased By 362.1 (3.21%)
BR30 35,478 Increased By 1338.1 (3.92%)
KSE100 108,239 Increased By 3134.6 (2.98%)
KSE30 33,694 Increased By 1139.4 (3.5%)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday called on Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty and refrain from attacking Iranian soil, highlighting warming ties between the Middle East rivals.

He told a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders that the international community should oblige Israel “to respect the sovereignty of the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran and not to violate its lands”.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have often found themselves on opposing sides of regional conflicts including Syria’s.

In 2015 Saudi Arabia mobilised a military coalition to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government after Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and advanced toward the main southern city of Aden.

Saudi army chief to visit Iran on rare trip: state media

The following year Riyadh and Tehran severed ties following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

In March 2023, however, they announced a rapprochement deal brokered by China.

Though issues remain in the complex relationship, the rapprochement amounts to a signature diplomatic achievement for Prince Mohammed, who has taken a more conciliatory approach to regional diplomacy in recent years.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have maintained high-level contact as part of efforts to contain the war that broke out in Gaza following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year.

This diplomatic outreach led to the first phone call between Prince Mohammed and Iran’s then-president Ebrahim Raisi – just five days after the war broke out – and a visit by Raisi to Riyadh a year ago for a joint summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Saudi crown prince demands Gaza, Lebanon ceasefires at Arab summit

In October, Saudi Arabia announced it had held war games with Iran and other countries in the Sea of Oman.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s top military official, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.

Prince Mohammed and Iran’s current president, Masoud Pezeshkian, spoke by phone on Sunday ahead of Monday’s summit, which is a follow-up to the gathering in November 2023.

Pezeshkian is not attending because of pressing “executive matters”, an Iranian government statement said, and First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref travelled to Riyadh instead.

The Gaza war and subsequent fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah raised fears of even wider conflagration. Iran this year twice fired missiles at Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation, most recently on October 26 when it hit Iranian military facilities.

Comments

200 characters
Az_Iz Nov 11, 2024 07:04pm
Friendlier ties between these two countries are a necessity. They are welcomed by the well wishers of both countries.
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply