Iran’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia says Israel is disgruntled with the restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh and is seeking to disrupt it.
Alireza Enayati made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s Arabic-language al-Alam news network published on Wednesday, after he was accredited by Riyadh as Iran’s new ambassador.
“Many of our friends and brothers welcomed the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding that others are either just upset or, like the Israeli regime, find it unbearable and try to disrupt those relations.
However, he said, what is important is to have a constructive cooperation and prioritize the issue of regional security based on economic, commercial, social and cultural development.
Enayati went on to say that providing security in such a way can lead to the withdrawal or reduction of foreign forces in the region. “When cooperation between all regional countries is reinforced, no element can disrupt it,” he argued.
The envoy also noted that the Islamic Republic has always declared its readiness to strengthen its relations with its neighbors, adding that the ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia as two regional heavyweights will certainly have a positive impact on regional issues.
Iran and Saudi Arabia could also cooperate in many fields that could provide economic opportunities for the development of regional countries, he said.
The ambassador also said that Iran’s relations with some of its neighbors are “very strong” and their economic cooperation is constantly growing.
Enayati also lauded China’s role in promoting the resumption of Tehran-Riyadh ties following high-stakes talks between the two sides in Beijing.
After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia clinched a deal on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months after seven years of estrangement.
Observers have welcomed the development as a counterweight to efforts aimed at alienating regional countries from each other, arguing that the detente – to the dismay of the US and Israel – has the potential to ease tensions across a region characterized by turbulence for decades.
