Iran-Saudi ties weaken normalization with 'Israel': Hezbollah

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Tasnim
17 Jun 2023 20:22

The Hezbollah Executive Council chief says the agreement on the restoration of diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran was against the interests of the US and "Israel".

Hezbollah Executive Council chief Sayyed Hashem Safieddine (Tasnim)

Hezbollah Executive Council chief Sayyed Hashem Safieddine considered that the Chinese-brokered agreement on the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran "had many positive repercussions for the people of the region."

In an exclusive interview for the Iranian news agency Tasnim, Sayyed Safieddine indicated that the agreement was against the interests of the United States and the Israeli occupation and "is in the interests of the Ummah (nation) and the Islamic and Arab world and is proof of our health and strength."

The senior Hezbollah official emphasized that this stability is a weakness for the normalization project with the Israeli occupation, underlining that "Iran was powerful before the Beijing agreement, and it is still strong and powerful after it."

This comes as Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived Saturday in the Iranian capital, Tehran, heading a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Iranian officials regarding bilateral ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Upon his arrival, bin Farhan was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the venue of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Following the welcoming ceremony, the two top diplomats held a meeting at the Ministry.

This is the Saudi minister's first visit to Iran since the two nations signed on March 10 a Chinese-brokered agreement to restore diplomatic ties after several years of rift.

Iranian news agency Mehr cited sources as saying that the Saudi embassy in Tehran will reopen its doors during bin Farhan's visit.

Earlier, Nour News reported that bin Farhan is conveying a message from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi over expanding the relations between the two nations.

In early June, bin Farhan and Amir-Abdollahian met in South Africa to discuss preparations for the full restoration of relations and expanding regional and economic cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

It is noteworthy that Tehran reopened its embassy in Riyadh in early June, some three months after the two sides agreed to reestablish bilateral relations.