A Saudi military delegation led by Lieutenant General Fayyadh bin Hamed al-Ruwaili, Chief of the General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, arrived in Iran on Sunday, November 10th. He held talks with Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. The two generals addressed a variety of topics focused on expanding defense diplomacy and fostering stronger ties between the two countries.
Major General Bagheri extended an invitation to Saudi Arabia for participation in a naval exercise:
We welcome the participation of the Saudi Arabian Navy in next year’s Iranian naval exercise, whether by sending naval units or joining as observers.
Mohammad Hossein Bagheri
Hamed al-Ruwaili responded that “the Beijing agreement offers a strong basis for strengthening bilateral cooperation, and we see it as a strategic opportunity for both nations.”
The meeting was held in the framework of the agreement reached in March 2023, when Iran and Saudi Arabia, under a Chinese-brokered initiative, decided to restore diplomatic ties. A key element of this agreement includes the implementation of a security cooperation pact, signaling a new era of collaboration between the two influential nations.