Saudi Crown Prince, Iran President Speak For First Time Since Ties Restored

Facts

• Iranian Pres. Ebrahim Raisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday held their first direct talks since Tehran and Riyadh resumed diplomatic relations, discussing the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.¹
• At the initiative of Iran's Raisi, they discussed the current military situation in Gaza and its surroundings. According to Saudi state media, the Crown Prince reaffirmed that Riyadh has actively engaged with all international and regional parties to halt the escalation.²
• Bin Salman and Raisi, who restored diplomatic ties under a Chinese-brokered deal in March after seven years of hostility, reportedly also expressed concerns about Israeli operations in Gaza.³
• Bin Salman on Wednesday also received a phone call from Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in which the Saudi leader reportedly voiced opposition to targeting civilians in any way. The crown prince further expressed support for the Palestinian cause and people in the quest for their legitimate rights.⁴
• The Israel-Hamas war comes as a setback for a possible US-brokered normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which was supposed to culminate in an exchange of ambassadors before the next US presidential elections.⁵
• Meanwhile, US Pres. Joe Biden at a White House roundtable with Jewish leaders Wednesday warned Iran to 'Be careful' following the Hamas attacks on Israel. US intelligence agencies reportedly suggest Tehran was surprised by the assault but the Biden administration has yet to make a definitive conclusion.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²The Times of Israel, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Saudi Gazette, ⁵Politico and ⁶CNBC.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. The historic phone call between bin Salman and Raisi is a powerful sign of solidarity over concerns about the impacts on Palestine. While the West condemns the atrocities being carried out in Israel, it largely ignores the long history of Israeli treatment of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran may invoke unity at this stage of the conflict, but in reality, they only use the Palestinians as a political tool to achieve their foreign policy goals. Tehran is not pro-Palestinian, but merely anti-American and anti-Semitic. The Saudis have also had numerous opportunities to advocate a solution to the Palestinian problems, but this does not serve their national interests. This is especially so since Riyadh sought to normalize relations with Israel — Iran's archrival.

Predictions