Iran has asked Saudi Arabia to reopen consulates and re-establish diplomatic ties as a prelude to ending the war in Yemen, with timing emerging as the key sticking point in Iraqi-brokered talks between the regional rivals, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.
While world powers push for negotiations to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic has quietly held four rounds of discussions aimed at easing years of tension with Saudi Arabia. The focus has been on Yemen, where the two countries back opposing sides.
The last round of Saudi-Iran talks took place on Sept. 21 and another is expected to take place soon.
Saudi Arabia, which has battled Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen since 2015, is pushing to end a conflict that’s exposed its oil facilities to drone and missile attacks. Two years ago, a Houthi assault on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq knocked out half the production capacity in the world’s biggest oil exporter, roiling global markets.
It wants a deal on Yemen as an initial step toward rebuilding diplomatic ties, which were severed in 2016, but Iran has insisted that normalization come first, said one of the people, and two others briefed on the talks, asking not to be named because details are private.
Iran has suggested reopening the consulates in the Iranian and Saudi cities of Mashhad and Jeddah, respectively, as a sign of goodwill, two of the people said. The talks have progressed overall but tend to stumble when it comes to details, one of the people said.
Iran’s foreign ministry and Saudi Arabia’s Center for International Communications, which deals with international media queries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials in Iraq, which has been helping to broker the talks, also didn’t comment.
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Saudi Arabia’s proposals to halt the fighting have been met with scant interest from the Houthis, who diplomats say see little reason to back down after successfully taking over swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
As the U.S. retreats from the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, a key ally for decades, has sought to improve relations with Iran’s Arab allies and reduce regional tensions to shore up its own security.
In contrast, despite crippling U.S. sanctions imposed when former President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord, Iran is in a better position politically. Courted by world powers and with its armed proxies able to wreak havoc in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon, it has a strong hand in any negotiations.
By Fiona MacDonald and Ben Bartenstein
October 13, 2021, 6:00 AM GMT+3 Updated on October 13, 2021, 8:04 AM GMT+3
— With assistance by Sylvia Westall, Golnar Motevalli, and Mohammed Hatem
