Tehran: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on an official visit Thursday for talks with Iranian officials.
According to Anadolu Agency, Prince Khalid announced via his X account that he met with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, conveying a message from King Salman. The discussion focused on bilateral relations and mutual interests. Khamenei acknowledged the meeting on his X account but did not disclose the letter's content.
Prince Khalid also engaged in discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, where they reviewed Saudi-Iranian relations and explored ways to enhance them. Discussions included regional and international developments and related efforts. Iranian state media reported that the Saudi minister aims to strengthen regional cooperation, defense relations, and counter-terrorism coordination during his visit.
Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri expressed Iran's readiness to expand defense relations with Saudi Arabia across various fields during a meeting with Prince Khalid. He noted that relations between the Iranian and Saudi armed forces have been improving since the Beijing agreement. Bagheri emphasized that regional security is a shared interest, and expanding military ties could lay a foundation for broader cooperation. He reiterated the importance of Iranian-Saudi relations, especially given the complex regional and international conditions. Bagheri affirmed the Iranian Armed Forces' readiness to expand bilateral defense relations with Saudi Arabia.
The visit precedes a second round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear program scheduled for Saturday in Rome. This visit marks the second by a senior Saudi defense official to Tehran since the resumption of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In November 2024, Lieutenant General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili visited Tehran for military talks. Diplomatic relations were restored in March 2023 after China-brokered negotiations in Beijing, ending a seven-year freeze that began in 2016 following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran during protests over the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.