Iran FM in Saudi for talks on Gaza, Lebanon

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks that were expected to cover efforts to end fighting between the Israeli military and Iran-backed groups in Gaza and Lebanon.

"I hope that these consultations can lead to better conditions for Palestine and Lebanon and establish peace in the region," Araghchi told Iranian state television upon his arrival in Riyadh.

Israel has been waging a year-long war against Hamas in Gaza that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, began firing on northern Israel in the wake of that attack, and since last month Israel has significantly ramped up its strikes targeting Hezbollah leaders and infrastructure.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are part of Iran's "axis of resistance" of militant groups in the region.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on X that Araghchi's visit would focus on stopping "the Israeli regime's genocide & aggression" and aimed to "alleviate the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Lebanon".

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that Araghchi met with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He also met his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, to discuss "developments in the region", SPA said, without providing details.

Araghchi's visit to Saudi Arabia comes as the region awaits Israel's response to an Iranian missile attack on its territory last week.

"Saudi will confirm that it will not allow any party to use its airspace to attack the other and will also agree to any call for a ceasefire in Lebanon or Gaza," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, told AFP.

In Beirut on Friday, Araghchi said Tehran supports efforts for a "simultaneous" ceasefire in Lebanon and the Palestinian territory.

The Islamic republic called Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel "a turning point in the history of the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel".

- Restored ties -

Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia resumed relations in March 2023 under a surprise China-brokered deal following a seven-year rupture.

Iran has repeatedly accused its arch-foe Israel of committing genocide and war crimes since the Gaza war began.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and custodian of Islam's two holiest sites, paused US-brokered talks on recognising Israel after the Gaza war broke out.

Saudi officials said they wanted a pathway towards a Palestinian state as a condition of normalisation.

But last month, the kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, toughened his tone, explicitly saying that an "independent Palestinian state" was necessary.

Since the March 2023 Iranian-Saudi rapprochement was announced, the regional powers have intensified their contacts despite supporting different camps in several conflicts, most notably in Syria and Yemen.

The two exchanged ambassadors and visits of foreign ministers before the late Ebrahim Raisi made the first visit by an Iranian president to the kingdom in 20 years to attend a joint Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the Gaza war last November.

In August, Ali Bagheri, then Iran's acting foreign minister, visited Jeddah for an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah.

Araghchi assumed the post of Iranian foreign minister later in August.