Saudi-Iranian resumption of ties: A ray of hope for the Iranians

A few days after the signing of the Saudi-Iranian agreement, which led to the return of relations between the two countries, doubts were cast on the extent of Tehran's commitment to this agreement, especially since both countries have a common influence with a different orientation in several countries, such as Yemen; Lebanon; Iraq, and Syria.

This scepticism is due to the fact that Tehran is ruled by an ideologically and religiously hard-line political current.

This gave rise to calls inside Iran for the exclusion of this current from the government and the country's foreign policy so that the agreement signed with Saudi Arabia can succeed on the ground.

Iranian calls

The beginning was on March 16, 2023, when Iranian MP Jalil Rahimi Jahan Abadi accused this current of responsibility for the deterioration of Tehran's relations with other countries.

He told a local newspaper that whenever his country intends to repair its relations with other countries, obstacles are placed by this current.

"Why don't these extremists take responsibility for their actions?" Abadi asked.

"Shouldn't they admit that their actions are the reason for the ruin of Iran's relations with other countries?" he asked again.

An Iranian activist called on the Iranian government to exclude hard-line officials who take actions to impede the success of the agreement signed with Riyadh and punish those who had previously severed relations with Saudi Arabia.

He pointed out that this agreement would serve the best interests of both parties, after several damages suffered by Tehran due to the actions of some hardliners, when Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi diplomatic headquarters in Tehran and the city of Mashhad in January 2016 in protest against the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Face-saving

Despite the presence of voices in Iran welcoming the resumption of relations with Saudi Arabia, there are other voices, especially on social media, that have downplayed the importance of the agreement.

Iranian affairs specialist, Masoud Ibrahim Hassan, described these voices as 'face-saving' for the hardliners in the Iranian regime.

"These hardliners believe the agreement is a step back that will restrict Iran's progress," Hassan told The Reference.

He added that the same voices believe the agreement would hold back the Iranian nuclear programme or Iran's regional project which is being carried out pro-Iran militias in regional states.

As for the extent of the impact of these calls, Hassan pointed out that these calls would not have a resonance or a significant impact, since the agreement represents a 'ray of hope' for the Iranian regime first and then the people second.

"The agreement opens the door for cooperation in various political and economic fields with Gulf states," Hassan said.