Beijing breakthrough.

THE Chinese capital is not usually associated with Middle East peacemaking. Yet it was in Beijing on Friday that smiling top officials from the host country, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced to a surprised world that Riyadh and Tehran had decided to re-establish diplomatic relations.

This is no mean achievement, considering the terse ties between the two states, particularly in the decades since 1979's Islamic Revolution in Iran. The deal, if all goes according to plan, would open up a new vista of cooperation between two of the Muslim world's most influential states, while the breakthrough also brings to the fore a dominant China's newfound role as international peacemaker.

Relations have alternated between lukewarm ties and open hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran ever since the revolution. However, the relationship suffered a severe jolt when Riyadh executed prominent Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Baqir al-Nimr in 2016. Thereafter, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi missions in Tehran and Mashhad, which led to the rupture in diplomatic ties. During and before this period, both sides have competed for influence in Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq and most notably Yemen, where the devastating civil war has pitted the pro-Iran Houthi militia against the Saudi-allied government. Therefore, a Saudi-Iranian detente has the potential to bring stability to all these states, particularly Yemen.

Moreover, improved ties between what are seen as the Muslim world's leading Sunni and Shia powers can also mean better intra-Muslim relations. This is especially true for...