Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Sheikh, the speaker of the Saudi Shura Council, has urged Iran, a rival in the area, to cooperate and uphold the rule of not meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
According to Saudi media, this occurred during a gathering of the leaders of the Shura Councils of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Muscat, the capital of Omani.
He stated, “The kingdom calls on Iran to collaborate with the countries in the area by upholding the norms of international legitimacy. Iran is a neighbor whose people and ours share ties in religion and culture.
Riyadh, he continued, called on Tehran to “fulfill its commitments in this respect, collaborate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and not meddle in the internal affairs of other nations.”
Saudi Arabia and Iran severed their diplomatic relations in 2016 following an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran after Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr was executed by Saudi authorities.
Their relationship further nosedived after Iran in September 2016 accused Riyadh of deliberately causing the death of around 400 Iranian pilgrims in a 2015 stampede in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
The two sides have since been engaged in a strong regional rivalry, often accusing each other of waging a proxy war for regional influence.
