Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will launch a regional tour on Monday, according to a Saudi-owned news site. His regional tour includes Oman, the United Arab Emirates (the UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. Within the scope of his regional tour, Mohammed bin Salman’s first stop will be Oman.
The Crown Prince’s official visits come days before an annual Gulf summit. It also coincides with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Iran, which is also expected to take place on Monday.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have taken steps towards their long-time rivals Iran in recent months to ease regional tensions. Riyadh engaged in direct talks with Tehran in April through the facilitation of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
On the other hand, the UAE’s Tahnoun bin Zayed will reportedly visit Iran upon the invitation of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council’s secretary Ali Shamkhani. During the meeting, the two top security officials will discuss steps to reduce tensions and improve bilateral ties, according to the Iranian media.
Within the scope of his tour, Prince Mohammed will pay an official visit to Qatar for the first time since Riyadh and its allies imposed an embargo on Doha in 2017. The crisis was resolved last January after more than three and a half years of tense relations.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned news site concerned reported that the Gulf leaders are expected to gather for the annual summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh in December.
