UPDATE – Saudi defense minister visits Tehran ahead of Iran-US nuclear talks

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Ahmed Asmar and Mohammad Sio

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on an official visit on Thursday for talks with Iranian officials.

In a post on his X account, Prince Khalid said he met with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during which he conveyed a message from King Salman.

“We discussed our bilateral relations and topics of mutual interest,” he added.

Khamenei confirmed the meeting on his X account, without providing details about the content of the letter.

The defense minister also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian where they reviewed the Saudi-Iranian relations and explored ways to enhance them.

“We also addressed regional and international developments and related efforts,” he added.

Iranian state media said that the Saudi minister will explore ways of strengthening regional cooperation and bolstering defense relations and counter-terrorism coordination during his trip to Tehran.

The high-profile visit comes ahead of a second round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program in Rome on Saturday.

Thursday’s visit marks the second by a senior Saudi defense official to Tehran since the resumption of diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran in September 2023.

In November 2024, Saudi Chief of General Staff Fayyadh Al Ruwaili visited Iran for bilateral military talks.

Diplomatic relations between the two regional powers were restored in March 2023 following China-brokered negotiations in Beijing, ending a seven-year freeze that began in 2016 after attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.