Iran, Saudi call for a ceasefire in Gaza
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Iran's foreign minister met in Geneva with his Saudi counterpart to discuss Iranian-Saudi ties and the recent developments in Gaza.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, right, and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan leave after their joint press briefing in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP)
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan held Wednesday a meeting in Geneva to discuss the cooperative relations between their countries and the most recent developments in light of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Amir-Abdollahian kickstarted the meeting by thanking Riyadh for its generous hosting of Iran's president to examine the situation in Palestine. He then expressed gratitude for the bilateral relations that both countries, two of the most influential countries in the region, aim at expanding and enhancing.
He then addressed the rising implications in Gaza and the West Bank as the Israeli genocide gets more and more aggressive, urging the Saudi FM to join efforts to force the IOF out of Gaza, establish an immediate cessation of aggression, as well as deliver aid that Palestine is in dire need of.
Faisal bin Farhan mirrored Amir-Abdollahian's satisfaction with the progress both their countries have seen since the development of their coalition.
"Fortunately, contacts and talks continue in other fields, and economic ministers have also started their talks and contacts, and Saudi Arabia welcomes this trend", he said, while also welcoming a larger scale of cooperation and diversification in Iran-Saudi relations.
He further expressed his country's contentment with hosting Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, and finally echoed Abdollahian's call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"We have a shared view about the support for the Palestinian nation and an immediate ceasefire and the sending of urgent humanitarian aid, and we will continue our efforts," the Saudi FM said.
Read more: Raisi, MBS agree on need to end war crimes against Palestinians
Iran-Saudi relations push 'Israel' out
Israeli media debated that the Saudi-Iran rapprochement inflicted harm on "Israel" and its interests in the region. Additionally, it controverted Israeli attempts to isolate Iran on the diplomatic level in West Asia and the world.
The rapprochement also distanced the kingdom from normalizing ties with "Israel", Israeli media reported.
Read more: Iran-Saudi ties weaken normalization with 'Israel': Hezbollah
In a similar context, Israeli media highlighted that the US has been increasing its attempts to mediate an agreement in recent months, with Washington holding frequent meetings with both sides despite repeated assurances by the kingdom that it will not normalize ties with the Israeli occupation until a Palestinian state is established.
Israeli media also highlighted that US Mideast envoy Brett McGurk led this week a mission to the region to discuss normalization between Riyadh and "Tel Aviv" and that following his visit to Riyadh earlier this month, Blinken held a 40-minute phone conversation with Israeli occupation Prime Miniter Benjamin Netanyahu about the "Saudis' requirements" for an agreement.
This was happening as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced an agreement to form joint political and economic committees.
