Former Supreme National Security Council Secretary: “Managing Tensions” Between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Commenting on the anniversary of the Chinese-brokered agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, who was secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council from September 2013-May 2023, praised both countries for effectively “managing tensions.” However, Shamkhani also pointed at the unrealized economic potentials of normalization of diplomatic relations.

• March 20: Looking at the roots of the agreement, Shamkhani told SNSC mouthpiece Nour News:
  • “The process began two years prior to the agreement, toward the end of 2021, at the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council. There were preliminary negotiations between Iranian and Saudi representatives in Baghdad. Iran’s representative was Mr. Amir Saeed Iravani, who is currently ambassador to the United Nations but back then served as the head of the foreign policy directorate of the Supreme National Security Council. From Saudi Arabia, Khalid al-Humaidan, director general of the General intelligence Directorate, participated. The Iraqis hosted the talks … And Mr. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, then Iraq’s prime minister, was always present at the beginning of the meetings. Within this framework, eight rounds of negotiations were conducted … After the presidential election” in Iran in June 2021, “it was decided that the negotiations should continue. In the end, the talks led to the talks between Mr. Ebrahim Raisi and the Chinese president … Further talks, in a much more concentrated form, took place in February 2023 … which led to the agreement.”
  • “The way the agreement took shape and what has transpired since, including exchanging ambassadors, show that both countries are determined to increase the level of their relations … But in my opinion, things can be conducted at a much faster pace.”
  • “The normalization of Iran’s relations with countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq has great economic potential … However, there is a need for better planning … It is an undeniable reality that regional states have reached maturity and need comprehensive development, so they must abstain from engaging in geopolitical rivalry and create more economic potential … Should there be rivalry, it ought to be in the realm of economics … Managing tensions is the necessary precondition for cooperation based on shared interests, and Iran’s new relations with Saudi Arabia are an important sign of these dynamics in West Asia.”

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