Iran Hopes For Improvement Of Relations With Saudi Arabia - Presidential Office Head

Iran Hopes for Improvement of Relations With Saudi Arabia - Presidential Office Head

Iran hopes to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, so that they would not become similar to Iran's relations with the United States, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2020) Iran hopes to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, so that they would not become similar to Iran's relations with the United States, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said.

"Ties with Riyadh should not become like Tehran-Washington relations ... We used to have good relations with Riyadh. Now we believe that the governments and peoples of the two countries will solve their problems together in the interests of the region," Vaezi said as quoted by IRNA news agency.

According to Vaezi, Iran's policy has always been aimed at maintaining good ties with regional countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two largest countries in the middle East, have historically competed over geopolitical and religious reasons. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 after its missions in Tehran and Mashhad were attacked by violent mobs in an act of revenge for the Saudis' execution of famous Shiite preacher Nimr Baqir al-Nimr. Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti followed suit.

Tehran and Riyadh support different sides in the Yemeni war between the Houthis and Saudi-supported government of President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi. In the most recent development, Riyadh blamed Tehran for the attacks on Saudi oil refineries, which the Houthis claimed responsibility for. Iran denied its involvement and said the Yemeni rebels had the right to defend themselves against Saudi Arabia.