Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss the latest regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions, in the first publicly announced contact between the two countries since Iran launched retaliatory strikes across Gulf states following US-Israeli attacks.
The Saudi foreign ministry said the conversation on Wednesday focused on “reviewing developments and ways to reduce tensions to help restore security and stability in the region".
The call came a day after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, a truce aimed at opening space for broader diplomatic negotiations.
According to Iran’s foreign ministry on Thursday, Araghchi briefed Faisal on the latest developments following the ceasefire announcement and said Tehran remained committed to what he described as a “responsible approach".
He also accused Washington of carrying out military aggression during the nuclear negotiations process in February and acting against its commitments even before diplomacy had fully resumed.
Prince Faisal, for his part, reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the ceasefire and ongoing efforts to restore calm, expressing hope that the current truce would pave the way for a complete end to the war and the return of security and stability across the region.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours have faced repeated attacks on energy infrastructure, airports and other civilian facilities from Iran.
At the same time, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted roughly a fifth of global oil shipments and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
The phone call also comes ahead of expected Iran-US talks in Islamabad later this week, where Pakistan has sought to leverage its ties with both Tehran and Washington to preserve the ceasefire and push for a more durable settlement.
Despite the truce, tensions remain high.
Missile and drone interceptions were reported across the Gulf within hours of the ceasefire announcement, and damage to Saudi oil infrastructure has underlined the risks to global energy markets if diplomacy fails.
Iran has listed three US violations of the truce plan: the continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon, a drone entering Iranian airspace, and a denial of the country's right to enrichment.
Last month, Araghchi urged Saudi Arabia to evict US forces from its territory, reiterating that its attacks in the region only targeted its enemies and that “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation.”
