The real reason behind Saudi minister's rushed visit to Iran: 'Double-game or mediator'?

Just days after Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the US, the kingdom's senior minister landed in Tehran, a visit that coincided with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's arrival in the Islamic Republic.  

While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged that he discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Saud bin Mohammed Al-Sati, regional experts speculate that the real reason for the visit could be something else. They believe the covert visit of Al-Sati hints at Saudi Arabia's ambitions to become a mediator between Tehran and Washington. 

Though the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia had been frozen for the past two years, the thaw happened after China intervened to restore political relations between the countries. 

However, the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister's recent visit comes just days after Mohammed bin Salman's meeting with Donald Trump. After the successful visit, there were reports that Trump asked Saudi Crown Prince  Mohammed bin Salman to manage a channel aimed at opening dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

Lebanese media Al-Akhbar reported that Saudi officials then contacted Iran’s leadership seeking to hold a senior Saudi-Iranian meeting in Paris within 24 hours, to be followed by Saudi shuttle contacts between the United States and Iran. 

A review of past experiences shows that Saudi Arabia has rarely emerged as a reliable mediator between Tehran and the West due to regional crises, geopolitical rivalries, and ideological differences. However,  Riyadh's current bid is to consolidate its role as the hegemonic power of the Persian Gulf and a security partner of the West on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has its sights set on economic and energy relations with the East, especially China.

This situation strengthens Riyadh's motivation to play a double game between Tehran and Washington, according to Iranian analysts. 

There is hope that Saudi Arabia can open a communication channel between Tehran and Washington, with the covert or overt support of the United States and the company of China, and the possibility of reducing sanctions pressure and opening up nuclear negotiations will be revived.

However, from a pessimistic perspective, Saudi involvement may lead to the consolidation of Riyadh's interests in the double game rather than reducing tensions. Any mediation requires mutual trust, and this component of Tehran-Riyadh relations still seems fragile and unstable; a mistake or pressure from a third party could quickly cause it to collapse.