2023-04-29 16:21:45
The visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Friday, to Lebanon, carried many new statements, such as that Iran would not interfere in the Lebanese election of the President of the Republic, and political signals such as his attendance at Iran’s garden in the border town of Maroun al-Ras.
This visit raised some questions regarding the change in Iran’s political tone in the Lebanese file, and how Saudi Arabia views this visit and its outcomes in light of the rapprochement with Tehran.
While Saudis saw in an interview with Al-Hurra that there is a need for Iran to show its good intentions by moving its tools in the region in line with its pledges, Iranian experts said that the most prominent thing that happened in Lebanon was the change of Hezbollah’s discourse towards Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region.
Abdullahian said, on Friday, that the embassies in Saudi Arabia and Iran will reopen “in the next few days,” referring to the warming of relations following the two countries closed their embassies seven years ago.
At a press conference in Beirut, Abdullahian did not mention a specific date for the reopening of the two countries’ embassies, which were closed in 2016.
He added, “During the recent phone call between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia on Eid al-Fitr, we agreed to work in the next few days to reopen the Iranian and Saudi embassies in Tehran and Riyadh.”
The two countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia, agreed last month to restore diplomatic relations under a deal brokered by China.
Relations between them began to deteriorate in 2015 following the intervention of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the Yemen war, following the Iran-aligned Houthi movement overthrew the Saudi-backed government and seized control of the capital, Sanaa.
Regarding the Lebanese file, Abdullahian said, “Regardless of the effects of the Saudi-Iranian agreement on the region and Lebanon, we believe that the Lebanese personalities and forces have the necessary competence to complete the political process and elect a president for the republic.”
He said, “During the meetings that brought me together with Lebanese officials, I confirmed that we support consensus among the Lebanese, to elect a president for the republic, and Iran has not and will not interfere in the election of the Lebanese for the president of the republic, and when the Lebanese agree on any person, Iran will support that with all force.”
He added, “Iran has made openness with neighboring countries a priority in its foreign policy. After my visit to Amman, I continued my visit to Lebanon, to consult with them regarding the various developments taking place today, and the recent developments open up positive climates in the region, and there is no doubt that Lebanon occupies a special place in the region.” .
“The Mastermind of Fueling Conflicts”
Within the framework, Saudi political analyst Ahmed Al-Rukban said, in an interview with Al-Hurra, that “Abdullahian’s visit to Lebanon is not strange, due to the ideology of cooperation between Tehran and its military arm in Beirut, and therefore it is not surprising that there are meetings or understandings between it and Hezbollah.”
Regarding the Saudi position, Al-Rukban explains that “Riyadh wants security and peace for all countries in the region, especially in Iraq and Syria, as well as Lebanon and Yemen.”
And he continues, “Iran is the mastermind of those partisan groups that fuel conflicts, hence the need for Iran to show its good intentions through good management of the groups it established.”
He stressed that Iran needs “Saudi Arabia and peace, as it is classified as terrorist and sponsors terrorism, in addition to the isolation it is experiencing, which has pushed it to be more reasonable.”
He continued, “Saudi Arabia is waiting for Iran to put pressure on Hezbollah so that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of some Arab countries, including Yemen, which the Houthi group has tampered with for many years.”
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia “is closely monitoring this visit and what the Iranians will inform us of its results,” saying that “Iran understands the importance of peace in all areas close to Saudi Arabia, and for this reason the Iranian foreign minister must be more effective and closer to these groups that have been classified as terrorists such as Hezbollah.” “.
“change of discourse”
For her part, Iranian political analyst Diana Mahmoud stated, “Tehran draws new equations in the region to search for understandings, and Lebanon is one of the most prominent countries that will be affected following the recent Iranian-Saudi agreement, following it was a contentious file between the two countries.”
However, she pointed out that “the agreement does not mean that there is any change in Iran’s policy towards the axis of resistance.”
Mahmoud pointed out that the most important thing “is that the discourse of hostility between Hezbollah and Saudi Arabia stopped months ago, and the language between the two parties changed.”
And it is reported that regarding the Lebanese presidential election, Abdallahian said: “We supported and support the election of a president for the Lebanese Republic, we support consensus and agreement among the Lebanese, and we encourage the completion of the political process, and any prominent Lebanese figure who reaches the Lebanese presidency by consensus will be welcomed by Iran.”
He added, “I placed the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in the atmosphere of all regional developments, whether Iranian relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and other files, and despite the difference in political positions in terms of the presidential vacuum, officials are moving forward to reach an appropriate solution.”
He indicated that he had sent “an official invitation to my Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, to visit Tehran, and he welcomed the invitation and confirmed that he would accept it,” saying, “I received an official invitation from the Saudi Foreign Minister to visit Riyadh, and I will accept it,” announcing the opening of the embassies in Saudi Arabia and Iran within days, According to what was reported by the Lebanese National News Agency.
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