Iran’s FM urges diplomacy in call with Saudi counterpart

Tehran offers to facilitate talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis following deadly strikes on the kingdom.

Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Saudi state news agency reported.

In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Araghchi emphasised that insisting on a military approach while disregarding political solutions would further complicate the situation. The Iranian minister said the region’s crises have no military solutions. Last week, Araghchi said “there is no military solution” to the US war, adding, “only negotiations based on justice and fairness” could end the conflict.

Following the deadly attack on the Riyadh airport that killed 12 people and wounded 300, US President Donald Trump said he would reconsider the US role in Yemen, adding that he is weighing resuming strikes on Iran.

Iranian and Saudi diplomatic ties have endured despite longstanding friction, with embassies restored under a 2023 Chinese-brokered agreement remaining operational. Before that breakthrough, a seven-year diplomatic rupture had fuelled regional proxy conflicts.

Riyadh’s relationship with Tehran has deteriorated since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in late February. Following the attacks, Tehran and its aligned forces have struck US military assets and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, including oil fields in Saudi Arabia.