Saudi-Iran ties A new era.

What seemed to be a stalemate has been turned into an olive branch-thanks to China. The halt in bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been resumed with the efforts of Beijing serving as the mediator. Saudi Arabia-Iran ties were deeply affected in two eras. First, during 1987-1990 and then from 2016 to 2023 after the execution of Nimr al-Nimr and the 2016 attack on the Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

The foreign ministers of the two countries are scheduled to meet within two months, as per reports circulating in the media. Tehran views the resumption of ties with Saudi Arabia as a step towards regional peace and security. It will reduce the political tussle the two countries were experiencing. The talks initially began in April 2021 that were finally manifested into an action plan in March 2023. China's involvement has proved to be of paramount significance. President Xi Jinping made an official visit to Saudi Arabia in December 2022. In February, he invited Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi.

Diako Hosseini, a political analyst based in Tehran views this agreement to be one of the earliest steps toward amicability. While talking to a Middle Eastern media outlet, Hosseini said, 'Saudi Arabia will likely still be cautious in economic dealings with Iran because it does not want to be exposed to US sanctions. And normalization does not necessarily mean that the two sides trust each other. Regardless, reducing tensions in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq can still entail wide-ranging interests for both sides.'

China's influence over the region has been accentuated after its direct involvement in renewing Saudi-Iran ties. China has been rising as an economic giant and now the United States will view Beijing as a strong player supporting peace in the South Asian region. Washington should admit that China will eventually become an economic and diplomatic leader in the Asian region at large. After all, the Persian Gulf is a region with energy reserves and for having trade routes. These are important for China and it will endeavor to protect them and maintain their relevance at all costs.

The United States also views China to have made the first step in dissolving Washington's hegemony over the region. Wang Yi, Chinese senior diplomat...