Iran’s Foreign Minister Meets Saudi Crown Prince Amid Fragile Iran-Israel Ceasefire
According to the Saudi foreign ministry, Araghchi thanked Saudi Arabia for its strong condemnation of Israel’s unprecedented airstrikes on Iranian territory last month.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for high-level talks in Riyadh, marking a significant diplomatic engagement between the two regional powers just weeks after a ceasefire was established between Iran and Israel, according to AFP.
The Saudi foreign ministry said Wednesday that Crown Prince Mohammed expressed hope that the truce would enhance regional stability and reiterated the kingdom’s commitment to resolving disputes through diplomatic means. “The Kingdom supports dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred path toward conflict resolution,” the ministry wrote in a statement posted on X.
According to the ministry, Araghchi thanked Saudi Arabia for its strong condemnation of Israel’s unprecedented airstrikes on Iranian territory last month. The Israeli bombing campaign, launched on June 13, targeted military and nuclear sites across Iran, killing over 1,000 people, including senior commanders and nuclear scientists, according to Tehran.
In response, Iran launched a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes that, according to Israeli officials, left at least 28 people dead. The escalation prompted growing international alarm, with the United States—then engaged in nuclear negotiations with Iran—conducting its own strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 22. Washington's actions were met with concern from Riyadh, which criticized both the Israeli and American strikes as violations of international law.
While U.S.-Iran nuclear talks have since stalled, the ceasefire between Tehran and Tel Aviv, in place since June 24, has largely held.
The recent meeting in Riyadh is being seen as a continuation of the diplomatic thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia, who restored ties in 2023 following a seven-year rupture. Their rapprochement, brokered by China, marked a turning point in a historically tense relationship defined by sectarian rivalry and competition across regional flashpoints, including Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei described Araghchi’s meetings with Saudi leaders—including Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman—as “fruitful conversations” focused on strengthening bilateral relations and addressing evolving regional dynamics.
The encounter reflects the increasingly pragmatic tone of Saudi diplomacy under Prince Mohammed’s leadership, as the kingdom seeks to reassert its influence and avoid entanglement in regional military confrontations.