Baghdad hosts latest round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia: Officials

News Desk The Cradle

The latest round of talks comes as the KSA works to move past its decades-long alliance with the US

Officials in Iraq revealed on 27 September that representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia had held a new round of talks in Baghdad the week before to discuss a previously agreed-upon roadmap to normalize relations between the regional rivals.

Over the past year, Iraq has mediated talks between Tehran and Riyadh in hopes of promoting regional integration and cooperation as countries in West Asia continue the push to move past decades of foreign military occupation.

Last month, Iraq held a regional summit in Baghdad that brought together Arab heads of state and senior officials including the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia, who reportedly held talks on the sidelines of the conference.

Saudi Arabia has sought talks with Iran as the kingdom’s relations with the US have become increasingly strained, in particular after losing one of its main supporters for the war in Yemen in former President Donald Trump.

Things have gone downhill between the historic allies since then, as US forces have begun to remove advanced missile defense systems from Saudi Arabia.

This in turn led Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to unceremoniously cancel a meeting with the US Secretary of Defense citing “scheduling conflicts,” only to then host a member of Russia’s lower house of parliament.

On the other hand, experts believe Iran sees great benefit in putting an end to its long-time rivalry with the kingdom, as this would likely work in their favor for any future nuclear talks with western powers.