Iran, Saudi Arabia Discuss Enhancing Military Cooperation

Deputy head of operations at the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Bahman Behmard and Saudi Chief of General Staff General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwaili met on the sidelines of the World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh on Monday.

During the meeting, Behmard highlighted Iran’s defense and military capabilities and expressed Tehran’s readiness to develop relations with Riyadh.

He invited Ruwaili to visit Tehran and gave him a message from the Iranian defense minister addressed to his Saudi counterpart.

In mid-March 2023, after several days of intensive negotiations hosted by Beijing, Iran, and Saudi Arabia agreed to end a diplomatic rift, restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions

In a joint statement after signing the deal, Tehran and Riyadh highlighted the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.

Back in early June, Tehran officially reopened its embassy in Riyadh. The Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital has been also resuming work since early August.

Ruwaili, for his part, thanked the Iranian delegation for attending the exhibition and emphasized the need to expand Tehran-Riyadh cooperation in the military and defense fields.