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| In thaw, Saudi extends invite to Iran | In thaw, Saudi extends invite to Iran |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that it had invited Iran’s foreign minister to visit Riyadh, breaking the ice in one of the most hostile relationships in the Middle East ahead of key talks on Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna this week. | |
| Speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the kingdom was ready to host Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif “any time he sees fit” and indicated that Riyadh is willing to open negotiations with its nemesis on the many combustible issues dividing them. | |
| “We are ready to receive him,” Faisal said, adding, “We will talk with them. Our hope is that Iran becomes a part of the effort to make the region as safe as possible.” | |
| The invitation came after months of indications that the two rival powers are moving to ease the tensions that have helped fuel the war raging in Syria and the hostilities in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran have backed opposing sides in each of those conflicts, deepening the sectarian dimension of the regional divide. | The invitation came after months of indications that the two rival powers are moving to ease the tensions that have helped fuel the war raging in Syria and the hostilities in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran have backed opposing sides in each of those conflicts, deepening the sectarian dimension of the regional divide. |
| Whether the move signals the beginnings of a broader deal that will help stabilize the region is too early to tell, diplomats and analysts said. Iran has been pushing to mend fences with Sunni Persian Gulf states since Hassan Rouhani became president last year, but Saudi Arabia has been reluctant to engage in what it fears could amount to a propaganda coup for its rival. | |
| That Saudi Arabia has agreed to host a top Iranian official suggests that Iran is ready to offer concessions on at least one of the top issues of concern to the kingdom, including Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, said Mustafa Alani of the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center. | |
| “This does not come out of nowhere. There must be some Iranian concession,” he said. “The Iranian foreign minister is not coming just to kiss cheeks. The Saudis would make very sure they are not bluffing before issuing the invite.” | |
| Saudi Arabia has long dreaded the prospect of a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States that would enhance Iran’s prestige in the region at Saudi expense, and the timing of the announcement, ahead of this week’s crucial negotiations with Iran, is no accident, diplomats said. | Saudi Arabia has long dreaded the prospect of a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States that would enhance Iran’s prestige in the region at Saudi expense, and the timing of the announcement, ahead of this week’s crucial negotiations with Iran, is no accident, diplomats said. |
| Riyadh’s gesture came as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Saudi Arabia to reassure the kingdom and other skeptical gulf allies that they still have Washington’s support. Diplomats from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany are expected to enter the deal-drafting stage this week with their Iranian counterparts. Iran is widely expected to press for a compromise under which it would retain the right to enrich some uranium, while the West is likely to offer to ease sanctions only if Tehran agrees to a complete cessation. | |
| Hagel said Iran and Syria will be among the top issues he plans to discuss with his gulf counterparts, some of whom have been at odds in recent years over regional issues, including the Syrian war and the fate of post-revolutionary Egypt. | |
| “Each country has its own dimension, dynamic,” Hagel told reporters en route to Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. But the secretary said he is hopeful that Washington can strengthen military cooperation and have a constructive dialogue on Iran and Syria. “These are real issues, real challenges for this region,” he said. | |
| U.S. defense officials said Hagel’s presence in the region as nuclear talks with Iran reach a potential turning point is not accidental. Despite espousing high hopes for a deal with Iran, the United States wants to convey that it retains significant bandwidth in the region and will continue to militarily support Iran’s enemies. | |
| “We want to continue to reassure our partners here to U.S. commitment to this region,” Hagel said. | “We want to continue to reassure our partners here to U.S. commitment to this region,” Hagel said. |
| Saudi Arabia has been buying weapons from the United States at a stunning rate in recent years. Since fall 201o, Congress has been notified of proposed sales of more than $86 billion worth of fighter planes, helicopters, bombs and missile defense systems. | |
| Officials in Washington and the gulf region remain worried about Iran’s ballistic missile program, which could be left out of a final deal. | |
| “It is very much on the minds of our gulf partners and very much on our minds,” said a senior defense officials who briefed reporters en route to Saudi Arabia but was not authorized to speak on the record. Having nuclear talks moving forward “does not reduce our concern on Iran missiles,” the official added. | |
| Londoño reported from Jiddah. |