Saudi minister discusses defence co-operation on rare visit to Iran

Visit comes at critical time for the Middle East

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, in Tehran. Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman discussed prospects for defence co-operation with the Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces during a rare visit to Tehran.

The visit, which involved meetings with senior Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, comes at a critical time in the Middle East.

The US and Iran are preparing for a second round of talks in Rome on Saturday, as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations express concern over the potential consequences if the negotiations fail.

“In my meeting with the Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, we reviewed the bilateral relations between our countries and explored prospects for defence co-operation,” Prince Khalid said in a post on X.

Iranian state media reported that defence officials stressed to the Saudi official Tehran’s readiness to expand military relations.

Prince Khalid, a fighter pilot, is probably the first Saudi defence minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He is also the highest-ranking Saudi royal to visit in decades. The last was King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who visited in 1997 as crown prince, during an Organisation of Islamic Co-operation meeting held in Tehran.

The visit is significant, particularly given the decades of enmity between the countries. Relations have thawed since a 2023 agreement mediated by China, amid efforts to secure peace in Yemen, where Houthi rebels have threatened both Saudi Arabia and the UAE despite US air strikes.

During his visit, Prince Khalid delivered a message from Saudi King Salman. He also met with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and the country’s Supreme National Security Council chief, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, to discuss “efforts to promote security and stability”.

Last month, Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, warned that an attack on Iran's Gulf coast nuclear facilities would leave countries across the region without water.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was “not in a rush to strike Iran, because I think Iran has a chance to have a great country”.