Iran-Saudi Arabia détente & Nowruz: New beginnings in the Middle East

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani (right) talks with Minister of State and national security adviser of Saudi Arabia Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban during a meeting in Beijing, China on March 10, 2023. (Source: REUTERS)

The height of symbolism in the “made-in-China" rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia was that it was announced just before Nowruz, the start of the Persian new year. Inversely, for people on the opposite side of the Gulf facing Iran, it almost seemed like a harbinger of good tidings that this year, the practice of Ramadan moonsighting coincided with the first week of Nowruz.

Historically, for 3,000 years, Nowruz has symbolised rebirth. Iran’s reconciliation with Saudi Arabia is, no doubt, a diplomatic rebirth for both countries. Beyond the Gulf region, to grasp the global significance of this far-reaching rapprochement, one only has to read two important, but contrasting messages released in Washington and New York on the occasion of this year’s Nowruz.

A Bitter Note

A congratulatory message by the United States of America’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is full of bile and reflects a sense of diplomatic defeat, which the resumption of ties between the largest two Gulf states constitutes for Washington. “The people of Iran have faced a brutal crackdown at the hands of the Islamic Republic,” said Blinken’s Nowruz message. In a gross exaggeration of the situation on the ground in Iran, Blinken added: “Many families face an empty chair at their Nowruz table this year, as friends and family members have been killed or detained by Iranian authorities.  On the occasion of Nowruz, we reiterate our commitment: the United States will continue to defend your human rights and to support you as you seek a brighter future.”

Unlike the top diplomat of the US, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, takes into account that Nowruz is not just for Iranians. About 300 million people around the world, in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East have celebrated Nowruz for three millennia, depending on their local history. Therefore, the Secretary General’s message is universal as it should be and devoid of bitterness. “Nowruz marks new beginnings,” said the greetings from Guterres, in an implied reference to the latest diplomatic developments in the Gulf. “The arrival of spring and rebirth of nature. Nowruz is a celebration of humanity’s rich cultural heritage and diversity...to promote mutual respect and reconciliation. As we celebrate Nowruz, let us choose hope and compassion, embrace the opportunities that lie ahead, and work together to building a more peaceful, more sustainable and more inclusive world for all.”

Mending Bridges

By the time the fortnight-long Nowruz festivities end, Ramadan observances would be in full flow. Indications at the time of writing this are that the détente in the Gulf is set to gather pace in this auspicious month. A day after the China-brokered rapprochement became public, the United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister telephoned his Saudi counterpart and said the reconciliation would “achieve stability in the region and meet the aspirations of their peoples for development and prosperity.” Less than a week after the announcement that Iran and Saudi Arabia would restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year break, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, flew into the UAE, where all doors were open for him. Since then, Iran’s Foreign Minister has proposed three undisclosed locations for meeting his Saudi counterpart. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has acknowledged a letter from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz inviting the President to visit Riyadh, which would be a historic turnaround in their ties.

For Gulf-watchers, the earliest straw in the wind about a peace augury was two months ago, when Iran and Bahrain agreed on visits by technical delegations to their respective embassies, which had been closed since 2016. The feud between Iran and Bahrain had been much more bitter than that between the Islamic Republic and the House of Saud. A reopening of the respective embassies in Manama and Tehran would be a secure sign that the prospect of peace in the Gulf is bright.

Olive Branches 

The reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not a one-off event in the current Arab calendar of the Arab world. A week ago, Turkey and Egypt agreed to restore diplomatic ties. Relations between these regional heavyweights have been fractured for a decade on the issue of Egypt’s continuing crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey’s encouragement of the group. This week, a ray of hope reached 20 million people in Yemen desperately in need of humanitarian assistance as the warring parties to the eight-year conflict talked in Switzerland. An optimistic outcome was an agreement to release 887 prisoners. Last weekend, when Syria’s President, Bashar Al-Assad, entered the UAE’s air space heading to Abu Dhabi on an official visit, it was surreal to watch his aircraft being protectively escorted by Emirati fighter jets all the way until it landed. A stand-off between Qatar on one side and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other has already ended through mediation by Kuwait. Fence-mending is continuing, catalysed by the goodwill created by the recent football World Cup in Doha.

It is tragic that within sections of the strategic community in India, the Iran-Saudi rapprochement is seen through the prism of China’s role in bringing it about. Perverse jealousy about China’s growing global diplomatic clout has blinded these sections to the bigger reality that West Asia, after the failed experiment of the Arab Spring 13 years ago, is going through a new and more positive phase of momentous changes. There is no need for India to compete with China in peace-making as Beijing-baiters want the Narendra Modi government to do. To view current developments in the Arab world as a zero-sum game between India and China is to miss the wood for the trees.

KP Nayar has extensively covered West Asia and reported from Washington as a foreign correspondent for 15 years. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.