The welcome rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran started as a tactical response to the sudden advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), but can be taken forward by both parties to the great advantage of the Middle East as a whole. The visit to Riyadh by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussain Amir Abdollahian is an important first senior visit between the Hassan Rouhani government and the Saudis. And it has been preceded by the successful appointment of Hussain Sadeghi as Iran’s new ambassador to Riyadh, who held this job previously when there was a high point of Saudi relations with Iran under president Mohammad Khatami.
During the past ten years, regional politics have been dominated by the rivalry between these two countries, in which both sought to use their domestic religious affiliations to their regional advantage. What was in reality a struggle for political dominance gave more credence to the growing sectarian divide between Shiite and Sunni. This led to a dangerous emphasis on sectarian politics in which there could be no room for compromise, whereas a change to issue-based politics offers a way forward because both sides can agree to find the necessary compromises that political issues allow.
This means that there is a lot for the two states to talk about. They both agree on the seriousness of the immediate dangers from the violent extremists of Isil, but they should also find a way to move on and support the new government in Iraq that leaves both states more comfortable without feeling endangered. With the heat taken out of these two immediate issues, there will be room for Iran to stop its more outrageous interventions in the local affairs of Arab states. Finally, both states need to agree that the resolution of the international boycott against Iran can be beneficial if it brings its nuclear programme into the full light of international scrutiny. Iran needs to prove to the Saudis (and the region as a whole) that it is genuine in its intentions and that an end to the sanctions would bring substantial benefits with the restoration of normal political and economic relations.
