The General Chief of Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Baqeri, in Tehran in a rare visit on November 10.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency said they discussed the development of defense diplomacy and bilateral cooperation without giving any details.

Iranian media said Baqeri had discussed regional developments and defense cooperation with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman al-Saud last year.

Ruwaili is only the second high-profile Saudi official to travel to Tehran since Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties after seven years following Chinese-mediated talks in March 2023. Previously, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Iran in June 2023 .

Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia cut ties with Shiite-dominated Iran in 2016 after its diplomatic compounds in Tehran and Mashhad were attacked by protesters over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The trip comes days after the election of Donald Trump, whose second term as US president begins in January. He has pledged to bring peace to the Middle East, where US ally Israel is waging war against Iranian-backed groups in Gaza and Lebanon.

Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said the timing of the trip was important because it comes as several countries prepare for a second Trump presidency.

He said the Saudis’ decision to send their top military official to Tehran “sends a signal that they are committed” to the detente process that began last year and that “they do not want Trump’s election to undermine the recently improved relations with Iran is in danger. “

Separately, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and discussed expanding bilateral ties, Pezeshkian’s office said.

Trump had good relations with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf during his first term and worked to normalize relations between the Arab states and Iran’s arch-enemy, Israel.

Saudi Arabia has not normalized relations with Israel, but Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has said to have discussed the possibility of normalization with Saudi Arabia since 2021.

Another sign of warming relations is Saudi Arabia announced last month that it held military exercises with Iran in the Sea of ​​Oman.

By RFE/RL

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