reposting from Think BRICS
April 19, 2025
Tehran, Iran - A significant thaw in decades-long frosty relations has seen a flurry of high-level diplomatic activity between Iran and Saudi Arabia, culminating in a recent pivotal meeting in Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian welcomed Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, signaling an accelerating momentum in their rapprochement since the 2023 Beijing-brokered agreement. This burgeoning partnership, amplified by their recent inclusion in the BRICS economic bloc, has ignited discussions about a potential paradigm shift in West Asian geopolitics, challenging established Western influence and offering a model for regional cooperation.
The meeting on Thursday, April 17, 2025, saw both sides articulate a strong desire for deeper bilateral ties and a unified approach to regional crises, most notably the ongoing genocide in Gaza. President Pezeshkian, in a statement echoing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s long-held views, emphasized the necessity of unity within the Islamic world, asserting,
“We see you as brothers and have always emphasized strengthening fraternal ties between Islamic nations”. He further stated that “Islamic countries must be united to achieve sustainable peace, security, and economic development”,
suggesting that a collective Muslim voice could deter actions such as the “atrocities we’re witnessing in Gaza”. Iran’s readiness to “deepen ties in all areas and extend cooperation beyond Saudi Arabia to other Islamic nations” underscores a broader vision for regional solidarity.
Echoing this sentiment, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman hailed Iran and Saudi Arabia as “the two pillars of the region”. He affirmed that
“the Beijing agreement is only the beginning, our partnership can go far beyond that”,
indicating a long-term strategic commitment to this newfound alignment. The Saudi minister also acknowledged the shared perspective on the Palestinian issue, stating, “We share aligned views on Gaza and Palestine; Israel exploits regional fragmentation”. Furthermore, he extended an official invitation for President Pezeshkian to visit Riyadh, reciprocating Iran’s warm welcome. Discussions between the two sides covered strengthening bilateral ties across political, economic, and security fields, with both signaling their intent to continue high-level diplomatic visits and cooperation.
This diplomatic surge is not occurring in a vacuum. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia were recently inducted into the BRICS group, a move seen as a significant step towards a multipolar world order and a potential counterweight to Western economic and political dominance. Their shared membership in this influential bloc provides a new framework for cooperation that extends beyond regional security to encompass economic development, trade, and potentially even financial systems independent of Western control. The emphasis on economic cooperation and a shared Islamic identity, as highlighted in the sources, finds resonance within the BRICS’ broader agenda of fostering South-South cooperation and challenging the existing global power structure.
Ayatollah Khamenei himself underscored the strategic importance of this relationship in a meeting with Prince Khalid, delivering a message from the King of Saudi Arabia. Khamenei recalled telling Prince Abdullah, the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, in 1997 that “a close relationship with Saudi Arabia to be in our interest”. This consistent emphasis over the years highlights the enduring strategic value Iran places on this partnership. Khamenei reiterated,
“We believe that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia will be beneficial for both countries and the two countries can complement each other”. He also pointed out that “the expansion of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia has its enemies” and stressed the need to “overcome these hostile motivations,”
a sentiment echoed by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri.
General Bagheri, in his meeting with Prince Khalid, further emphasized the military dimension of this growing cooperation, stating that “good relations between the two countries and their armed forces will bring despair and hopelessness to our enemies and joy to our friends”. He thanked Saudi Arabia for participating as an observer in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise IMEX 2024, co-hosted by Iran, Russia, and Oman. Bagheri stressed that developing and strengthening relations between the armed forces of the two nations could be a “good basis for the countries in the region”. Iran’s “principled policy” of guaranteeing regional security through the efforts of regional actors, with Tehran and Riyadh playing a “significant role,” was also highlighted. Bagheri also pointed to the “destructive role of the Zionist regime” in destabilizing the region, a view shared by Prince Khalid. He appreciated Saudi Arabia’s stance on the Palestinian issue and the “ongoing Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip,” advocating for Islamic countries to adopt a “unified position to confront the crimes of the Zionist regime”.
The burgeoning Iran-Saudi axis, particularly within the BRICS framework, carries significant geopolitical implications. A stronger alliance between these two regional heavyweights could indeed “shift the balance of power in West Asia, challenging Western influence and countering Israel’s actions in Gaza and beyond”. Their mutual push for regional problem-solving “without external involvement could pose new challenges for U.S. and Western influence in the West Asia, and possibly usher in a new era of intra-regional diplomacy”. This aligns with the BRICS’ broader objective of promoting multilateralism and reducing the dominance of Western powers in global affairs.
Furthermore, Ayatollah Khamenei’s offer to share “some of Iran’s advancements” with Saudi Arabia hints at potential cooperation in various fields, possibly including technology and industry, areas where BRICS nations are increasingly seeking to collaborate. While the sources do not explicitly mention nuclear cooperation in the context of this meeting, a separate report suggests Iran might be willing to assist Saudi Arabia in establishing its own civilian nuclear program, potentially offering an alternative to a US deal. This underscores the growing confidence and ambition of Iran within the evolving regional and global landscape.
In conclusion, the recent high-level meeting between Iranian and Saudi officials in Tehran marks a significant step in their journey towards normalized and strengthened relations. This development, viewed through the lens of their shared membership in the BRICS economic bloc, suggests a strategic alignment that extends beyond bilateral ties to a shared vision of a new regional and global order. Their emphasis on unity, regional solutions, and reduced foreign interference, coupled with the potential for enhanced economic and strategic cooperation within the BRICS framework, could indeed herald a transformative era for West Asia, one where indigenous actors play a more dominant role on the geopolitical stage. The world watches closely to see if this Tehran-Riyadh embrace can truly serve as a BRICS blueprint for a more multipolar and regionally-driven future.