US administration officials have arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Tehran, as well as issues related to oil production and security with the kingdom's leadership. This was reported on Thursday by the Internet portal Axios.
As it notes, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and State Department Senior Adviser for Energy Security Amos Hochstein came to Saudi Arabia earlier in the day. They will discuss with the kingdom's leadership "the process of normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran," as well as efforts to end the war in Yemen and other topics related to security in the region, according to the portal's sources. They will also talk about "energy issues such as oil production."
The publication specifies that Hochstein and McGurk are "the most senior US officials to visit Saudi Arabia since the crisis" between the countries. The crisis stemmed from Washington's dissatisfaction with the OPEC+ countries' agreement to cut oil production in the fall of 2022. As US officials claimed at the time, the OPEC+ decision demonstrated that Saudi Arabia was aligning its energy policy with Russia.
According to Axios, Hochstein and McGurk's trip to the kingdom shows improving bilateral relations. US officials have already discussed with Foreign Minister of the Kingdom Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud issues related to enhancing cooperation between the countries.
Earlier this week, US National Security Adviser to the President Jake Sullivan and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud stressed the need to contain threats from Iran and discussed the situation in Yemen in a telephone conversation, the White House press office said.
US President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly said it is reviewing relations with Saudi Arabia amid sharp disagreements caused by OPEC+'s decision to cut oil production. However, Politico reported last week, citing sources, that the review had never actually begun.
Normalizing ties
On March 10, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies within two months. On April 6, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Beijing. A joint statement was issued following the talks. The two sides, in particular, reaffirmed earlier agreements on opening embassies and consulates, the intention to hold consultations to expand cooperation, resume flights and facilitate visa procedures.
Relations between Riyadh and Tehran deteriorated in March 2015 with the start of the Saudi-led coalition's military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement. In January 2016, after the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds of protesters outraged by the execution in Riyadh of Shiite preacher Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Iran.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
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Based on materials from TASS