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Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Riyadh was trying to find a path to dialogue with Iran as a way to resolve differences. Prince Faisal’s comments come amidst long-running tensions in the region.
During a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Prince Faisal said the kingdom was trying to find a path to dialogue with Iran. Prince Faisal added that the decision by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to focus on their respective economies and development was a strong message to Iran along with other countries in the region “that there is a pathway beyond traditional arguments and disputes towards joint prosperity.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran are the two leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim countries in the Middle East, with a long-running rivalry that has played out in the region, especially in conflicts in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. The two countries cut ties in 2016 but have since held rounds of talks since last year, with Iraq serving as a mediator in the discussions. However, there have been no diplomatic breakthroughs so far.
This also comes at a time when Gulf Arab countries have expressed concerns over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its network of regional proxies. However, the states want to contain tensions as they put their focus on economic priorities.
Iran has also been in a state of unrest since September, as protests were carried out across the country following the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman in the custody of the morality police. Mahsa Amini died days after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s dress code for women. Tehran has since carried out a brutal crackdown on the persisting protests, with four people executed on charges related to the demonstrations.
Tehran also sought to blame its foreign adversaries for the unrest.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament called for the bloc to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, saying that the IRGC was to blame for Tehran’s ongoing repression of demonstrators as well as the supply of drones that Russia is using in its war with Ukraine.
A majority of EU lawmakers backed the text condemning the Islamic Republic for its crackdown on the protesters while calling on the member states to make the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
