Commentary on the Saudi Foreign Minister’s Iran Visit: “The First Step to Creating the Islamic United States”?

Iranian commentary in response to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan’s June 17 visit to Iran has ranged from predictions of the creation of an “Islamic United States” and hopes of developing the oil fields Iran shares with Saudi Arabia to cautious optimism and warnings against raising expectations.

• June 19: Hossein Kanani Moqaddam, a foreign affairs analyst, in an interview with centrist Mosalas Online, claimed: “Mr. bin Farhan’s visit to Iran showed that the agreement between the two countries is not just on paper but is becoming operational. The Saudi foreign minister not only supported the Palestinian people but also expressed hope that Iran, as an Islamic country, would engage in alliances composed of Islamic countries … Now we can say that Islamic countries, along with Iran, are about to form an alliance against the European Union and the United States. The next step is establishing the Islamic United States.”
• June 19: Ali Bigdeli, a foreign affairs analyst, said in an interview with centrist Nameh News: “Our diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia are still shaky. They are still not solid, and the Saudi king still has to accept our ambassador’s credentials. I do not think all our problems with Saudi Arabia will be solved with Mr. bin Farhan’s visit to Iran. Saudi Arabia must improve its security, and the Yemen issue must somehow be solved. We are involved in unclear diplomacy with Saudi Arabia … Mr. bin Farhan’s claim that ‘we want to invest in Iran’ is a political bluff. As long as U.S. sanctions have not been removed and Iran has not joined the Financial Action Task Force,” an international organization that monitors terrorism financing and money laundering, “such a promise cannot be realized … There are also those who claim the hands of the United States will be severed from the Middle East. But this is not so.” Referencing Saudi Arabia’s outreach to all world powers to decrease its dependence on a single superpower, Bigdeli recommended Iranian officials “pursue a similar strategy so our relations are not limited to the East.”
• June 19: Under the headline “The Need for Realism When Analyzing the Restoration of Relations Between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” centrist Jam-e Jam interviewed Reza Sadr al-Hosseini, a foreign policy analyst, who said: “Doubtlessly, this is an important step in regional developments … but the media should not raise the level of expectations. The prospects for future relations cannot be detached from previous levels of engagement between Tehran and Riyadh.”
• June 19: In an editorial for Kayhan Daily, which is at times perceived as a mouthpiece of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Middle East analyst Saad-Allah Zarei claimed that the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia was due to a “special request from Riyadh, which was immediately welcomed by Tehran, since Iran has for years stressed the need for relations.” The editorial further claimed Saudi Arabia was not interested in active Chinese mediation during the negotiations. Interpreting statements by the Saudi foreign minister, Zarei claimed: “In his words, regional circumstances led Saudi Arabia to restore relations. This is no diplomatic statement, and it reeks of passivity. Perhaps this was meant to calm the minds of opponents of the restoration of relations with Tehran, meaning the U.S. government and the Zionist occupation regime.” Offering an alternative take on Faisal bin Farhan’s remarks, Zarei opined: “Iran’s increased power and the United States’ inability to solve this problem have led Riyadh to look for other solutions.” Turning to Faisal bin Farhan’s call for a region free of weapons of mass destruction, Zarei claimed Israel was the target of the statement rather than Iran.
• June 19: Karim Zobeidi, in a guest column for reformist Aftab-e Yazd, called for the development of Iran’s shared oil fields with Saudi Arabia in the wake of improved Iranian-Saudi relations. “This is a good opportunity to use the Saudi party’s experiences to develop the Farzad oil field … The Saudis, too, depend on technology from foreign companies … This field requires new technology.”
• June 19: Asr-e Iran, a centrist outlet, published an article focused on the presence of a female official in the Saudi delegation that visited Tehran.

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