ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Relations between regional rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia, are seeing “a real and vast breakthrough,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in an interview published Saturday, stating that restoration of ties between the two is near.
Iraq has hosted five rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh over the past year. PM Kadhimi told the state-owned al-Sabah that Iraq has a “direct interest” in mediating key talks between the polarizing countries and achieving regional stability, stressing the advantages of creating a “positive dialogue atmosphere” on Iraqi soil.
The Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran have had rocky relations since 1979, when Shia revolutionaries came to power in Iran and pledged to export their revolution to the world, including Gulf countries.
Their relations deteriorated in 2016 when Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions after the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.
Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in the Yemeni civil war since late 2014 has caused concerns for the Saudi establishment.
However, following the latest round of talks, Iraqi officials seem optimistic about Iran-Saudi ties.
Both countries are approaching “the dialogue with a big responsibility as demanded by the current regional situation,” Kadhimi said.
Iran's outgoing ambassador to Iraq, Iraj Masjedi, on Friday told Iranian state media that an agreement had been reached for “a roadmap for future negotiations” in the Baghdad talks.
Discussing a number of topics in the country, the premier also highlighted the current political process, describing it as a “crisis of confidence,” saying the current political deadlock can be breached should the rival parties make sacrifices and concessions.
The restoration of confidence in the country can be achieved if “everyone in the government or in the opposition considers the constitution, laws, and state institutions” to be the basic foundations in the political process, he added.
Almost seven months after Iraq held snap elections, the country is yet to form a new government. It failed to vote for a new president, which in turn elects the prime minister, on three different occasions.
Its political process fell into a constitutional gap after its deadline to elect a head of state earlier in the month expired.
