CIA Director Bill Burns paid an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia, expressing frustration about Riyadh’s recent rapprochement with Iran, according to a report. CIA chief visits Saudi Arabia frustrated about Iran rapprochement.
Burns told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the US felt “blindsided” by Riyadh’s rapprochement with Iran and Syria Washington’s global rivals according to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter.
It cited a US official who said Burns discussed cooperation on intelligence and counterterrorism with Saudi officials.
Beijing last month hosted officials from longtime regional rivals Riyadh and Tehran, where they agreed to resume diplomatic relations.
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 after the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was stormed by an angry mob following the execution of a Saudi Shia cleric.
Starting in April 2021, the two sides took part in marathon talks facilitated by Iraq and Oman but it was Chinese intervention that resulted in a breakthrough last month.
Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran met Thursday in China their first meeting in more than seven years, according to a statement. CIA chief visits Saudi Arabia.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Burns expressed frustration with Saudi officials over Riyadh’s recent rapprochement with Iran through a diplomatic deal brokered by China as well as the kingdom’s openings with Syria.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of bitter Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have held official talks for the first time since 2016. First high level talks held between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
A video showed Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud being encouraged to shake hands by their Chinese counterpart in Beijing.
A joint statement said they discussed reopening diplomatic missions within two months and resuming flights. The states agreed to restore ties in a deal brokered by China last month.
It was seen as a sign of China’s growing influence in the Middle East and a challenge to the dominant role of the US in the region.
China has close diplomatic and economic ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, while US-Saudi relations have been strained in recent years and the US has had no diplomatic relations with Iran for four decades.
Mr Amir-Abdollahian and Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of implementing the deal to restore ties in a way that “expands mutual trust and the fields of co-operation and helps create security, stability and prosperity”.
Also read: First high-level talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia
