Iranian General Mohammad Bagheri calls for greater security cooperation between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia’s top military official has visited Tehran for talks with Iranian officials in a rare high-level meeting since the countries restored ties last year, Iranian state media reported:

Saudi Armed Forces General Chief of Staff Fayyad al-Ruwaili met his Iranian counterpart, General Mohammad Bagheri, on Sunday at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

“The development of defense diplomacy and the expansion of bilateral cooperation are among the main topics of this meeting,” it added.

The country’s Fars news agency said Bagheri called for greater security cooperation between the two countries during the meeting.

“We would like the Saudi Navy to participate in Iranian naval exercises next year, either as a participant or as an observer,” Fars quoted Bagheri as saying.

Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iranian media said.

Pezeshkian told the crown prince that he would not be able to attend an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh due to his busy schedule and that he would send Iran’s first vice president as a representative, according to Mehr news agency.

Tohid Assadi, an expert on Iranian affairs, told Al Jazeera that the meeting between the two armed forces chiefs could be considered a step forward in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations.

“This visit also takes place after the election of (Donald) Trump in the US, who promised peace in (the Middle East). However, the possibility of tensions escalating further remains. So Iran and Saudi Arabia are indeed trying to make sure that everything is on the right track,” Assadi said.

“They are trying to build some kind of trust when it comes to collective action against collective threats,” he added.

Tehran and Riyadh cut ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite Muslim leader Nimr al-Nimr.

The two countries have also long supported hostile parties in regional conflict zones, particularly in Syria and Yemen.

In March 2023, through Chinese intervention, the two nations agreed to restore relations after seven years of hostility.

In November 2023, Iranian state media reported that Bagheri had held a telephone conversation with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud to discuss regional developments and improve defense cooperation between the two countries.