Iran and Saudi Arabia have resumed dialogue in Baghdad, Iraq, after a “pause” in talks between the two rival regional powers, a senior Iraqi government official said Saturday (04/23/2022). “The dialogue resumed last Thursday in Baghdad,” the source, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP without giving further details.
The information, which implies the resumption of the meetings – aimed at normalizing relations – after almost three months, was later confirmed by the official Iranian press agency Nournews, which detailed that the meeting was attended by “high-ranking officials of the Colonel’s Secretariat”. Iran’s National Security Council and head of the Saudi Intelligence Service attended.
The fifth meeting between Tehran and Riyadh officials was held in “a positive atmosphere that has raised hopes for a resumption of bilateral ties,” Nournews reported. The agency said that “the groundwork for a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries will be laid in near future”, without giving further details.
Desire to return to normal
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran split in 2016 after protesters from the Islamic Republic attacked Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions following the execution of a prominent Shia cleric. However, the two rival powers, squabbling over regional hegemony, have expressed a desire to overcome their differences and have resumed negotiations to that end, at first in secret.
In mid-January, Iran sent three diplomats to Saudi Arabia to represent the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the first time Tehran had a presence in the rival country in six years. Riyadh has repeatedly accused Iran of promoting terrorism in the region by supporting Yemen’s Houthi rebels or the Lebanese group of Hezbollah militias and trying to destabilize political regimes in the region.
DZC (EFE, AFP)
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
The war, the root of the disasters in Yemen
The United Nations has identified the conflict as the “root cause” of the Yemen crisis. Tens of thousands have been killed since the war began in 2014, when Houthi rebels invaded to seize the capital. In March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition launched a brutal campaign against them, which was heavily criticized for the high number of civilian casualties.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
Battles prevent food from reaching the hungry
Due to the conflict, humanitarian aid has not yet reached a large part of the civilian population. The result: More than two-thirds of the 28 million inhabitants are in a situation of “food insecurity”. According to the World Food Program, almost three million children, pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
Displaced: crises that converge
More than three million people have been displaced by the conflict, including marginalized communities such as the Akdam, a minority from Africa. Despite the civil war, many are fleeing Somalia to Yemen, converging two of the world’s biggest migration crises. Around 250,000 Somali refugees live in Yemen.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
Cholera, a deadly epidemic
The number of suspected cholera cases has surpassed two million and at least 3,700 people have died from this waterborne bacterial infection. Although theoretically easy to treat, cholera can kill the patient within hours if he does not have access to it.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
Unexpected victims of the “War on Terror”
In Yemen, the violence goes beyond civil wars: the country is seen as a strategic front in the war on terrorism. It is Al Qaeda’s operational base in the Arabian Peninsula. The United States frequently uses drones to target leaders of terrorist organizations, but many civilians have been killed in the process.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
The future of children marked by tragedies
In a country paralyzed by conflict, minors are among the most vulnerable groups. According to the UN, more than 12 million children need humanitarian aid. The country’s education system is “on the brink of collapse” while children are dying “from preventable causes such as malnutrition, diarrhea or respiratory infections,” the organization said.
-
Yemen: the keys to an endless war
Peace, an elusive future
Despite numerous attempts by UN-sponsored peace negotiations, the conflict has not stopped. Riyadh has pledged continued support to the government of internationally recognized President Abdo Rabu Mansur Hadi. On the other hand, the Houthi rebels are calling for the formation of a unity government to achieve a political solution. There is little hope of a peace agreement.
