Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s policy change – Foreign Minister

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif said on Thursday that Iran would welcome Saudi Arabia’s change of policy with open arms, Press TV reported.

Zarif said Iran had always sought understanding with its neighbours and not in any way under tension.

“If the Saudi Government concludes that it cannot provide its security through arms purchases and moves toward convergence in the region, it will be met with Iran’s open arms,“ he said.

Earlier, the Iranian officials said that they had so far received messages from the Saudi officials for political solutions to their mutual problems. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said that there had always been a chance to solve these problems with Saudi Arabia through dialogue.

Saudi Arabia and Iran – two powerful neighbours – are locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance. The decades-old feud between them is exacerbated by religious differences.

They each follow one of the two main branches of Islam – Iran is largely Shia Muslim, while Saudi Arabia sees itself as the leading Sunni Muslim power.

This religious schism is reflected in the wider map of the Middle East, where other countries have Shia or Sunni majorities, some of whom look towards Iran or Saudi Arabia for support or guidance.