Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke over the phone on Sunday evening, reviewing bilateral ties and expressing confidence for future collaboration between Tehran and Riyadh.

Due to need to attend to "executive matters", Pezeshkian was unable to attend an impending joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, but said that Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref would represent Iran at the occasion. He expressed optimism that the summit, led by MBS, "will have effective and tangible results in ending the crimes of the Zionist regime and the war and bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon."

The Iranian president emphasized that both nations were determined to strengthen their ties, and he hoped for continued progress in their relationship.

In turn, MBS thanked Pezeshkian for the call, expressing his understanding of his absence from the meeting and wishing success to "our brothers in Iran."

He described the current moment as a "historic turning point" for Iran-Saudi relations, and expressed optimism about taking their bilateral ties to the highest level, confirming plans for future talks with the Iranian vice president and reiterating his invitation for Pezeshkian to visit Saudi Arabia.

In response, Pezeshkian invited bin Salman to visit Iran, to which the Saudi leader stated that it would be "an honor" to visit the Islamic Republic. 

Arab, Muslim leaders fly to Saudi for talks on Mideast wars

Arab and Muslim officials began arriving in Saudi Arabia for a conference on Monday that will focus on "Israel's" war on Gaza and Lebanon, according to state media. The Saudi foreign ministry announced the conference in late October, at the inaugural gathering of an "international alliance" promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. 

Attendees will "discuss the continued Israeli aggression on the Palestinian territories and the Lebanese Republic, as well as the current developments in the region," according to the Saudi Press Agency.

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It comes one year after a similar summit in Riyadh of the Cairo-based Arab League and the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at which officials criticized "Israel" as "barbaric."

Saudi state-affiliated television station Al-Ekhbariya broadcasted images of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati arriving in Riyadh.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also slated to attend, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry, and he planned to call for "an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza" as well as the "immediate cessation of the ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region".

The OIC, which has 57 members, and the Arab League, which has 22 members, comprise supporters as well as opponents of "Israel's" regional integration. Last year's conference in Riyadh featured disagreements over actions such as cutting economic and diplomatic relations with "Israel" and limiting its oil supply.

Iranian, Saudi Chiefs of Staff discuss defensive diplomacy in Tehran

The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, discussed with his Saudi counterpart, Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwaili, ways to enhance defensive diplomacy between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Tehran reported on Sunday.

Earlier, Iranian news agency Tasnim revealed that al-Ruwaili is leading a high-level Saudi military delegation during a visit to Tehran.

Last year, Bagheri held phone discussions with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, focusing on regional developments, boosting defense cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, and addressing key issues within the Islamic world.

This follows the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March 2023, under an agreement brokered by China.

The two countries severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over the execution of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Riyadh.

In October, Saudi Arabia announced it had conducted joint military exercises with Iran and other nations in the Sea of Oman.

It is noteworthy that in late October, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Faisal Bin Farhan. 

During the call, Araghchi extended his nation's appreciation for Saudi Arabia's firm stance and denunciation of the Israeli attack against Iran, demanding cooperation between all Islamic countries to stop the Israeli crimes in the region, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.