Iran–Saudi Arabia relations

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on July 17 that he hopes Yemen's war will not spark direct confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and that they can work together to end the conflict in the country and Syria. 

Iran will be allowed to set up temporary consulates in Saudi Arabia during the hajj pilgrimage despite the absence of diplomatic ties between the two rivals, the foreign ministry in Tehran said on July 4.

'Turkey and Qatar in the Tangled Geopolitics of the Middle East' by Birol Başkan (Palgrave, 147 pages, £38)

King Salman of Saudi Arabia promoted his 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman, to be next in line to the throne on Wednesday, further empowering a young, activist leader at a time when the kingdom is struggling with low oil prices, a rivalry with Iran and conflicts across the Middle East.

A series of very harsh sanctions imposed on June 5 by prominent Arab and Gulf countries under the coordination of Saudi Arabia against neighboring Qatar is no doubt marking the beginning of a new era in the already fragile and unstable Middle East. 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have accused Saudi Arabia of masterminding the deadly attacks in Tehran on Wednesday, a claim which Riyadh has denied. Islamic State previously claimed responsibility for the attacks which killed at least 12 people.

The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the twin-attack against the country’s parliament and the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Wednesday, which killed 12 people and injured several.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates have broken diplomatic relations with Qatar, rattling a powerful 36-year-old Gulf states union, over what they say is the country’s support of terrorism. Egypt has also cut off relations with the tiny Gulf state.

Details of a military base to be built in Qatar, according to an agreement reached between Turkey and Qatar, were discussed at the parliament's foreign affairs committee.

Iran's defense minister on May 8 lashed back at Saudi Arabia, slamming the kingdom's deputy crown prince over belligerent comments last week that underscored the deep rivalries between the Sunni and Shiite power.