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Saudi-Iran ties on mend

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Recent developments in Saudi Arabia and Iran seems to be on an upswing and may lead to a better understanding amongst two old foes besides unfolding a new regional and global security paradigm.

It seems as if in this winter season, the ice between two largest Muslim countries i.e. Saudi Arabia and Iran, has started melting. One claims to be the leader of the Sunni domination, while the other is the Shia leader. Though this difference doesn’t hold any importance in difference of opinion between the two on various regional and global issues.

However, it seems that the current Saudi dispensation, led by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is ready to forget the old enmity and forge a new relationship with its old foe.

This development also comes in the background of strained relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, on the issue of oil pricing and supply and defence cooperation.

Last week, the Iranian side also showed signs of reconciliation when Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Jordan.

Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran is ready to reach an agreement with Western powers regarding its nuclear file if “red lines are respected.”

In a tweet, Amir-Abdollahian stated that he had a “friendly conversation” with his counterparts in neighbouring countries on the sidelines of the second Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan, adding that that he met the foreign ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at the event, adding that the Saudi minister asserted his country’s readiness to continue dialogue with Iran.

Saudi-Iran relations

Saudi Arabia cut off relations with Iran in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The demonstrators were upset over Saudi Arabia executing Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been at odds over numerous regional issues, perhaps most prominently Iran’s nuclear program. The two countries are also on opposite sides of the Yemen civil war, with Saudi Arabia backing the internationally recognized government and Iran supporting the Houthi rebels.

In 2021, officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran began holding direct talks — facilitated by Baghdad — in an effort to reduce tensions. The bilateral dialogue continued in 2022 also.

Previously, Iraq hosted the fifth round of Saudi-Iran talks in April. There have been no rounds since then. In June, then-Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said the talks had made “remarkable progress.” Iran delayed a sixth round of talks with Saudi Arabia in August due to the political instability in Iraq at the time.

Regional wire service Amwaj Media reported earlier that Saudi Arabia stopped the dialogue with Iran. This was due to concerns over Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who replaced Kadhimi in October, according to Amwaj.

Kadhimi had a pro-US outlook, whereas Sudani is an ally of Iran-backed political forces in Iraq. Sudani said he hoped to continue hosting the dialogue upon taking office.

In December, The Associated Press had also reported that the dialogue had come to a halt. Citing Iraqi officials, the AP said that Iran felt that Saudi Arabia was instigating the widespread anti-government protests in Iran.

Amir-Abdollahian’s tweet is therefore significant because it seemingly signals that the dialogue could be back on.

Minister of Security Esmail Khatib said, in an interview to the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that “our fate and the rest of the regional countries are interconnected”.

The Iranian Foreign Minister was accompanied in Amman by his deputy Ali Bagheri Kani Ali Bagheri.

Amir-Abdollahian held a two-hour meeting with Josep Borrell and Enrique Mora, the European Union’s foreign policy officials.

US-Iran tussle

Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran is ready to reach an agreement with Western powers regarding its nuclear file if “red lines are respected.”

“In the past two to three months, the US made hypocritical statements and took action that did not match their words,” he said about the nuclear talks.

Washington “has repeatedly claimed it is ready to take the final step of all parties returning to the agreement in Vienna, but they behaved hypocritically in the media”, he added.

Amir-Abdollahian stated that the parties to the talks are returning to “realism”, noting that if “red lines are respected, we are ready to take the final steps to reach an agreement.”

Analysts feel that Saudi Arabia is seeking an end to direct and indirect Iranian attacks on its territory, while Tehran wants better diplomatic relations with the Gulf due to Iran’s economic problems and also to create a wedge between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

It is expected that normalisation of ties between the two biggest Muslim nations may lead to grater regional stability, besides an increase in the influence of the middle-eastern bloc in the global politics. This may lead to a further refresh of the U.S. policy for the region, because if the two nations come together then it may translate into a more demanding and assertive bloc, challenging the American policy and strategy in the region, which seems to have faltered recently.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi.)

International News

UNSC raps Pak, poses tough questions concerning J&K terror attack: Reports

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United Nations, May 6: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has pulled up Pakistan and asked tough questions concerning the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam at its closed session amid the escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, reports said.

The members slammed Islamabad and questioned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.

Though Pakistan claimed that the meeting largely served and achieved the objectives of the UNSC’s meeting, reports showed that it flopped miserably.

In the meeting, which was called at the request of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, he claimed that his country was not involved in the terror attack.

Though the session was a closed consultation and had no official records, the UNSC members called for dialogue and restraint to resolve the issues.

After the meeting on Monday, UNSC President Evangelos Sekeris told reporters, “The Security Council is always helpful in such efforts” to de-escalate. It is the responsibility of the Council. It was a productive and helpful meeting. Since the meeting was a closed consultation, its proceedings are secret without official records.”

Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the meeting, said all want de-escalation. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation”.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation was at a “boiling point” and asked the two countries to “step back from the brink”.

“It is also essential — especially at this critical hour — to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,” he said.

Condemning “strongly” the terrorist massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam last month, he said, “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack”.

Notably, The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, in which 25 Indians and one Nepalese national were killed.

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International News

Putin dials PM Modi, offers Russia’s ‘full support’ to India in ‘uncompromising fight’ against terrorism (Lead)

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Moscow/New Delhi, May 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and “strongly condemned” the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, offering “full support” to India in its ongoing fight against terrorism.

“He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated after the call.

“Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM Modi conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year,” Jaiswal added.

The brutal assault on April 22, which resulted in the death of 26 innocent tourists, unfolded in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam when four heavily armed terrorists, two of them from Pakistan, emerged from the surrounding dense forests and opened indiscriminate fire on tourists. The attack has been described as one of the most horrific in the region in recent memory.

Monday’s call between the two leaders took place before the Russian President hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be on an official visit to the Russian Federation from May 7-10 and take part in the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In a statement issued later in the day, the Kremlin said that Vladimir Putin once again expressed sincere condolences to PM Modi over the death of Indian citizens as a result of the barbaric terrorist attack on April 22 in the city of Pahalgam in southern Kashmir. Both sides, it said, emphasised the need for an “uncompromising fight” against terrorism in any form.

“During the conversation, the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations of a special privileged partnership was emphasised. These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all directions. Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin and the entire Russian people on the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that Victory Day is a common holiday. The Indian representative will take part in the ceremonial events in Moscow,” read the statement issued by the Russian President’s office.

“The Indian leader reiterated his invitation to the Russian President to visit India for the traditional annual bilateral summit. The invitation was accepted with gratitude,” it added.

PM Modi, who had also been invited by Putin for the participation in the Victory Day celebrations, will however not be travelling to Russia.

The Russian President had earlier extended his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

“Kindly accept the sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam whose victims were civilians — citizens of various countries. This brutal crime has no justification whatsoever. We expect that its organisers and perpetrators will face a deserved punishment. I would like to reiterate our commitment to further increasing cooperation with Indian partners in fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured,” Putin wrote on April 22.

On May 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had dialled External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar do discuss topical issues of the Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the “aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations” following the terrorist attack near Pahalgam.

Lavrov called for the settlement of disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

“Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with FM Lavrov of Russia yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice. Also spoke about our bilateral cooperation activities,” Jaishankar posted on X after the phone call.

Putin had earlier invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow in May 2020.

Earlier, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had confirmed that the Russian President is expected to visit India in early 2025 following an invitation from Prime Minister Modi.

The visit is being planned as part of the ongoing commitment to annual meetings between the two leaders.

“Our leaders have an agreement to meet once a year. This time, it is our turn,” Ushakov had said during a press briefing.

The last visit by the Russian President to India took place on December 6, 2021, during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, PM Modi held two high-profile visits to Russia last year, attending the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later participated in the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in October.

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International News

India bans all imports from Pakistan amid rising tensions

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New Delhi, May 3: India has banned all imports – direct and indirect – from Pakistan amid rising tensions with the neighbouring country over the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack.

According to a notification by the Commerce Ministry, “Direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders.”

“This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India,” said the notification.

A provision in this regard has been added in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 “to prohibit direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan,” it said in the notification dated May 2.

As per official data, India’s exports to Pakistan fell 56.91 per cent year-on-year between April 2024 and February 2025 to $491 million, while there were no imports. Top exports to Pakistan in FY25 included drug formulations, sugar, bulk drugs, residual chemicals and auto components.

The Attari-Wagah border, the sole trade route between India and Pakistan, had already been closed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.

At least 26 civilians, including a Nepalese tourist and a local pony guide operator, were massacred by terrorists in the scenic Baisaran meadow in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The relations between the two nations soured as terror links to Pakistan emerged.

As per official data, India’s exports to Pakistan fell 56.91 per cent year-on-year between April 2024 and February 2025 to $491 million, while there were no imports.

Top exports to Pakistan in FY25 included drug formulations, sugar, bulk drugs, residual chemicals and auto components.

Meanwhile, the ongoing tension with India has shaken the confidence of investors in Pakistan badly, setting the country on course to record its worst performance in dollar bonds and stocks since 2023.

The investors have lost at least four per cent during April, while equities are down by three per cent. In comparison, India’s assets have largely been invulnerable.

Global powers, including the United States, have called on both parties to show restraint and de-escalate tensions.

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