Riyadh : Iran's intelligence chief travelled to Riyadh for talks with Saudi Arabia's top intelligence officials, maintaining security contacts between the two neighbours even as Saudi leaders publicly accuse Iran of instigating political unrest and a nuclear arms race in the region.
Iranian Intelligence Minister Haidar Moslehi held talks on Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz, who is also the Saudi interior minister; Saudi intelligence director Prince Muqrin; and other top Saudi royals, Saudi Press Agency said yesterday.
Iranian and Saudi officials "reviewed a number of issues of common concern," the Saudi news agency said.
Saudi accusations have mounted against Iran in recent months, with Saudi officials publicly accusing Shiite-dominated Iran of inciting trouble among the Shiite populations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and other Arab nations.
Saudi Arabia and the US also charge Iran with plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, DC. And Saudi officials have been increasingly outspoken in public warnings to Iran to back away from what many in the Gulf and the West contend is an Iranian push to develop a nuclear weapons program. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful uses.
"I really, sincerely hope Iranians listen to their wise people," Prince Muqrin, the intelligence chief, told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. "They are really playing with fire."
Despite the rhetoric between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two countries maintain contacts under a late 1990s' security pact, Saudi political analyst Abdullah Al Shamri said yesterday.
"I think there were indications from our side the last two months that the patience of Saudi Arabia might run out," Al Shamri said.
