To What Extent Will the Saudi Discourse Toward Iran Change?

The remarkable friendliness shown by Saudi officials towards the Iranian embassy in Riyadh and the Iranian citizens brought by the Saudis from Sudan has sparked many inquiries. This follows a month since the resumption of diplomatic ties between the two nations, which had been cut off since 2016.

While Saudi Arabia has continued to criticize Iran’s interventions in Arab countries and its encroachment on their political sovereignty, questions have been raised about the message Saudi Arabia intended to convey and the extent to which the discourse of its media outlets regarding Iran and its regional proxies could change.

 

‘You Are Our People’

In an unprecedented warmth, some Saudi officials warmly welcomed Hassan Zarangar, the acting head of the Iranian embassy, upon his arrival at King Abdullah Air Base in Jeddah to receive Iranian nationals (65 individuals) who were transported from Sudan, where a military conflict is ongoing.

In a video broadcasted by Iranian media outlets on April 30, 2023, Major General Pilot Ahmed al-Dubais, the kingdom’s Western Region Commander, greeted Zarangar with a hug and said: “Welcome, may God bless you. It’s a blessed hour that you come to us. You are our people—in the Kingdom of Humanity, you are our friends. Have a pleasant stay in our country.”

Al-Dubais further added: “Under the directives of King Salman, and the Crown Prince and the Minister of Defense, Mohammed bin Salman, we are committed to taking care of you and providing everything you need. Welcome.”

Addressing the Iranian citizens on board the plane, al-Dubais stated: “This is your country, and if you need anything in the future, you will be warmly welcomed. Iran and Saudi Arabia are not just friends; they are brothers.”

He continued: “Whenever we see you, God willing, whether it is for Hajj, Umrah, or a visit, you are welcome anywhere in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Another video by Saudi media outlets showed the Iranian nationals being bid farewell at the airport with red roses.

Zarangar expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for its cooperation in bringing its citizens from Sudan, and he praised the Saudi-Iranian collaboration in humanitarian and consular affairs between the two countries.

Zarangar stated: “As a result of this comprehensive cooperation between the foreign ministries of both countries, Iranian citizens stranded in Sudan, whose journey began from Khartoum, then Port Sudan, have arrived in Jeddah.”

He added: “On behalf of Iran and its embassy in the Kingdom, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Saudi Kingdom and its employees at the Jeddah office for their cooperation and assistance in bringing our citizens from Sudan to Jeddah and also for sending them from King Abdulaziz International Airport to Tehran.”

 

Normalization Supplements

Regarding the message Saudi Arabia intended to convey through the exaggerated warmth towards Iranians, Iraqi researcher in Gulf affairs, Maytham Mohammed Sahib, believes that “what the Kingdom did is part of its policy of normalizing relations with Iran in March 2023.”

Regarding the extent of change in the Saudi media’s policy towards Iran and its proxies in the region, Sahib told Al-Estiklal that “a shift in the hostile rhetoric towards Iran in the Saudi media and its transformation into praise is possible, as it operates under the direction of the regime.”

He pointed out that “the Saudi media itself had previously demonized Qatar and launched negative campaigns against it during the Gulf crisis [which began on June 5, 2017], but things quickly returned to normal after the reconciliation reached at the Al-Ula GCC Summit [January 2021].”

He added: “The suspension of Saudi media’s attacks on Iran and its militias in the region may be temporary until the intersection of interests ends. Nevertheless, the new direction of both regimes in Riyadh and Tehran is based on pragmatism rather than ideology.”

On the other hand, Iraqi writer and political analyst Imad al-Jubouri said that “the warm welcome from Saudis to the Iranian diplomat comes in the context of the rapprochement that took place between the two parties [through Chinese mediation].”

Al-Jubouri, who resides in London, told Al-Estiklal that “these calculations concern the strategic dimension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its future policy, as there is the crystallization of a new Eastern world order in which China plays a major role, and Iran is part of this axis.”

He pointed out, “Saudi Arabia has another vision between strategically maintaining its historical relationship with the American side and this emerging new world order. Therefore, what is happening is part of the rapprochement with Iran and also indicates that Riyadh wants stability in the region.”

He continued: “It should be noted that Iran was in a tight corner in the region and suffering from diplomatic and political isolation, especially from the Arab side, due to its terrorist operations through its militia arms as part of its sectarian agenda in the Arab region.”

On March 10, 2023, China facilitated an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore their relations, which had been severed since 2016 when the Riyadh embassy in Tehran was burned by protesters following the execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism charges.

 

Consecutive Actions

In light of the agreement to resume relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, both countries have started taking several steps as part of their efforts to foster rapprochement, whether on the political or economic level.

One of the latest of these steps was revealed by the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, Mahdi Safari, on May 3, 2023, stating that a Saudi trade delegation would soon visit Iran to attend a trade exhibition, as reported by the Iranian online news agency, Mizan.

The Iran Expo 2023 exhibition is scheduled to take place from May 7 to May 10, 2023, focusing on Iranian export capabilities and organized by the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Mines.

The official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “In the coming days, a Saudi trade delegation will arrive in Iran accompanied by a deputy minister to attend the Iran Expo.”

Previously, the Saudi Minister of Finance, Mohammed al-Jadaan, announced his country’s readiness to invest in Iran, which is currently in great need of that due to the economic crisis it is facing.

During the First Private Sector Forum of the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund in Riyadh on March 17, 2023, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan stated that Saudi investments in Iran “could happen very quickly” after the agreement to resume relations between the two countries.

He added that there are plenty of investment opportunities for Saudis in Iran, and that the kingdom also offers several opportunities for Iranians, emphasizing that he sees no obstacles as long as the terms of any agreement are respected.

Al-Jadaan pointed out that “in order to focus on economic development and provide what is needed for your people in your country, you need stability, and they [the Iranians] need both as well.”

On the political front, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated during a press conference held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on April 28, 2023, that the embassies in Saudi Arabia and Iran will be reopened “in the coming days.”

Abdollahian added: “During the recent phone call between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia during Eid al-Fitr, we agreed to work in the coming days to reopen the Iranian and Saudi embassies in Tehran and Riyadh.”

Similarly, Alireza Enayati, the Assistant Foreign Minister of Iran and Director of Gulf Affairs at the Ministry, announced that President Ebrahim Raisi accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to visit Riyadh, which the latter extended on March 19.

Enayati stated in an interview with IRNA News Agency on April 17, 2023, that the Iranian President accepted the Saudi King’s invitation to visit the kingdom, and it will be carried out according to his schedule.

In return, Raisi had extended an invitation to Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, as announced by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on April 17, 2023. However, Riyadh has not made any comment on the matter until May 4.