Iran and Saudi Arabia are two regional powers whose international orientation can play an essential role in the geopolitics of the Middle East, regional peace, and stability. As a result, regional changes can also affect global geopolitics.

The future ahead

Considering the many ups and downs in the history of Iran-Saudi relations, one should still be cautious about predicting the future of the relations. In the past decades, the United States and the Zionist regime have made the most of the worsening of the atmosphere or the destruction of the ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Significantly, despite the will formed in Tehran and Riyadh to normalize relations, the possibility of interference by players and other harmful factors is not ruled out.

Meanwhile, one of the upcoming scenarios in the region is the unpredictable developments caused by the impact of the new Middle East policies of the United States to maintain its traditional position in the region, as well as the new regional policies of the Zionist regime as a destructive player in the region.

However, from a conservative perspective, the most probable future scenario for the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is the opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries, which can at least lead to a partial easing of tensions in the region with a pragmatic approach.

Fields of improving relations

A proven principle in international relations and communication, which has become the basis for functionalism and convergence theories, is that creating symbolic convergence leads to forming motivations and shared understanding. As a result, the evolution of forms of cooperation and methods of convergence and dynamic relations. Even if this convergence seems impossible in the first stage, this principle can be tested in the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In particular, there is a factor called China, which shows in recent movements that it has a serious motivation to improve relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia as its regional partners.

Improving relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is subject to gradual steps. The first and most crucial step is non-interference in internal affairs and reducing hostile indicators in positions and approaches. This issue is one of the provisions of the statement signed between Tehran and Riyadh.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two critical regional powers with a wide sphere of influence and inseparable allies in the region. Several decades of tension in the relations between Tehran and Riyadh have not eliminated the demarcation of the spheres of influence between the two countries. Accepting this fact is the first step in understanding to avoid further confrontation and pay attention to points and areas of cooperation.

At the same time, more emphasis on Islamic values, regional peace and stability, and opposition to separatist projects in the region can lead to rebuilding trust between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Dimensions of possible cooperation

There are always points for agreement and cooperation in the rivalry between countries. The relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia is no exception to this rule. Among the faults of the conflict, there are points for Iran and Saudi Arabia to define cooperation and shared interests.

At the regional level, the costs of self-centeredness in the Middle East region will harm both countries. One of the most essential and urgent fields of cooperation is to use the political weight of the two countries to resolve existing conflicts. Smoothing the grounds for peace negotiations in Yemen, reducing political tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, smoothing the way for Syria to return to the group of Arab countries, and reducing military anxiety in the Persian Gulf are among the conflicts that can be resolved by improving the atmosphere of dialogue and trust building between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Among the primary forms of cooperation are facilitating scientific and academic collaboration, tourism, providing technical and engineering services, and facilitating commercial relations between private sectors and joint ventures in public and private sectors. Forming commissions or cooperation councils at different levels, friendship groups, and common chambers of commerce can help start collaboration. Iran and Saudi Arabia can also have joint planning for bilateral cooperation at the bilateral level.

Cooperation in all economic activities, including industries, mines, oil, petrochemical, agriculture, livestock, health, transportation, communications, housing and urban development, and technical and engineering services, has been agreed upon by the two sides in the general agreement on economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports and youth of 1998. Such agreements have been emphasized in the document to reconstruct relations between Tehran and Riyadh in March 2023.

Developing security cooperation by preparing the grounds for implementing the 2001 strategic security agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia is also one of the other steps to transition from the model of confrontation to the model of interaction between the two countries. In this agreement, reference has been made to the issues of cooperation between the two countries in the exchange of security information, the fight against organized crime, and international terrorism, fighting against economic crimes through combating money laundering. That cooperation also includes the fight against the smuggling of weapons, goods, historical and cultural heritage, the forgery of government documents, the fight against drug trafficking, facilitating transportation of citizens of the two countries, and benefiting from security experiences and training of security agents.

Multilateral cooperation Another dimension of Cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia can be cooperation within the framework of multilateral agreements and common organizations. Cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the field of transportation can be one of the new forms of the North-South corridor, the target market of which is South Asia as well as the large market of the African continent. China seems to also pay special attention to the geopolitical weight of Iran and Saudi Arabia to advance its regional and economic plans. Simultaneous membership of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and China’s Belt and Road Initiative can also strengthen the potential of transportation cooperation in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations.