In a meeting, held via webinar, Einollahi and Al-Jalajel discussed and exchanged ideas in the fields of health and treatment, emphasizing the need for collaboration to improve health in the region, Mehr reported.

Einollahi pointed to the Hajj season, saying: “Cooperation between the two countries can have a significant effect on improving health indicators of the pilgrims.”

He also said Iranian universities and faculties of medical sciences are ready to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the fields of science, research, and education.

“The two countries can act as health hubs of the region and help other regional countries in case of infectious disease outbreaks.”

Al-Jalajel, for his part, said: “We welcome the expansion of international and regional relations and we are eager to reinforce cooperation between the two countries in the field of healthcare.”

He said, “Memorandums of understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran on health and medical issues will expand cooperation between the two countries.”

An MOU to boost cooperation in the field of health has been drafted by the two sides and will be signed as soon as Al-Jalajel visits Iran.

Iran a role model for primary healthcare

In August, Einollahi in a meeting with Abdul Razak Ahmad, the Malaysian deputy science minister, said many countries in the region are asking Iran for help with issues related to health.

Emphasizing that all diseases are currently treated in the country, the minister added: “With the help of scientists, we were able to educate efficient human resources,” ISNA reported.

“With the efforts that have been made during the 44 years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, today we have the strongest health system in the region in such a way that the health indicators in the Islamic Republic are far ahead of other countries in the region.”

All the indicators of health and treatment have made significant progress after the Islamic Revolution, and now Iran is one of the leading countries in this field, Saeed Karimi, the deputy health minister has said.

Health is one of the areas that got a good jump after the Islamic Revolution, ISNA quoted Karimi as saying.

“At the beginning of the Revolution, there were just 56,000 hospital beds, but now we have 156,000 hospital beds,” he noted.

Meanwhile, there were just seven thousand specialists, but now there are 70 thousand specialists and sub-specialists in the country, he added.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.

In October 2021, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Iran Jaffar Hussain, said that Iran’s health system can be a model for other countries in the region, especially in the field of health and the use of valuable forces such as healthcare providers.

The national budget bill for the current Iranian calendar year 1402, which started on March 21, has increased the health sector’s budget by 29 percent compared to the current year’s budget.

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Khandouzi, who arrived on Thursday in the Saudi city of Jeddah to attend the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group’s Annual Meetings, referred to the potential economic benefits of Tehran-Riyadh rapprochement, which was achieved on March 10 after China-mediated talks in Beijing.

“The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia with the help of friendly countries will create more trade and investment opportunities in both states,” Khandouzi said on Friday on the sidelines of the event.

“We believe that the expansion of economic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a win-win relationship that will serve the interests of both countries as well as the region,” he added.

Leading a senior economic team, Khandouzi is the first Iranian minister to visit Saudi Arabia after the signing of the agreement. He will meet with Saudi officials as well as counterparts from other Muslim nations.

He is also scheduled to speak at the annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank, a Jeddah-based bank that supports infrastructure projects with Islamic finance.

Khandouzi said last month that Iran aimed to raise its annual trade with Saudi Arabia to $1 billion in the first step of resuming economic ties. He said this target was set by the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO) based on the two countries’ capacities.

Khandouzi also said the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on strengthening ties with neighboring states.

“We have had good achievements in the past 1.5 years and expect a rising growth in economic, trade, and investment ties with neighbors,” he said.

Tehran believes in benefiting from the capabilities of Islamic Development Bank members, the minister said, noting that the recent meeting in Jeddah can pave the way for increased cooperation.

Pointing to Iran’s progress in various technologies such as in the production of medical equipment, medicine, and power plants, as well as in bio- and nanotechnology, the minister said that Tehran is determined to share this progress with the member states and other Muslim nations.

Meanwhile Khandouzi said Iran and Saudi Arabia will have good achievements in economic relations.

Ehsan Khandouzi in an interview with Sharq Al-Awsat said: I will meet with the Minister of Economic Affairs of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the meeting and I believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia are on the path of interaction, and economic relations will have good results.

“The policy of President Raisi’s administration is to develop relations with neighbors and Arab countries,” the minister said, adding, “So, we welcome any things that lead to closer relations with neighbors and Arab countries and the development of these relations, including strengthening relations.”

Responding to Sharq Al-Awsat’s reporter about the solutions to the world’s challenges, Khandouzi highlighted: After the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, countries have learned to have more economic interactions.

The Minister of Economy noted: “The agenda of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and our proposal to overcome these crises is to use the technology of Islamic countries and expand economic interactions between the countries of the world and especially the region.”

Meanwhile Khandouzi met with his Saudi counterpart in the kingdom’s port city of Jeddah in the first such development to follow the conclusion of a détente between the countries under China’s auspices.

The meeting took place between Khandouzi and Mohammed Aljadaan on the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group’s Annual Meetings.

“The two ministers, who met for the first time in years, discussed opportunities to develop and strengthen relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” the Saudi Gazette English-language daily reported.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after angry protesters stormed the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran. The Iran protests were caused by Riyadh’s execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr.

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In a joint statement issued Thursday after a meeting in Beijing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, expressed readiness to remove all impediments to the expansion of bilateral ties.

The two sides also agreed to develop cooperation in any field that can ensure the security and stability of the region as well as the interests of its nations.

They further underscored the importance of dialog on ways to bolster bilateral relations and activate a security cooperation agreement, as well as a general cooperation deal in the fields of economy, trade, investment, technology, science, culture, sports and youth.

In their joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to reopen their embassies in Tehran and Riyadh, together with consulate generals in Mashhad and Jeddah within a deadline already specified.

They also agreed to keep up coordination between the two countries’ technical teams in order to examine resuming flights and visits by official delegations and those by the private sector, as well as facilitating visa process for their citizens, including for the Umrah pilgrimage.

Given the existing natural resources and economic capabilities that can be used to ensure the common interests of the two brotherly nations, the two sides agreed to increase meetings and consultations to further realize the positive prospects in bilateral relations.

At the end of their meeting, Amirabdollahian and Prince Faisal thanked China for hosting Thursday’s meeting.

Moreover, they expressed their gratitude to Switzerland for its efforts to protect the interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Prince Faisal renewed his invitation for Amir-Abdollahian to visit Saudi Arabia.

The top Iranian diplomat, for his part, invited his Saudi counterpart to travel to Tehran, an invitation which was welcomed by Prince Faisal.

On March 10, after several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume their diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions after seven years of estrangement.

Meanwhile on Thursday, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the official restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after top diplomats from the two countries held a landmark meeting in the Chinese capital city of Beijing and issued a joint statement.

“I am delighted to announce the first official meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers in Beijing following the [March 10] agreement between the two countries to resume formal ties, and three rounds of telephone conversations between the top diplomats,” Nasser Kanaani told reporters in Beijing on Thursday.

He hailed the “very good” negotiations held between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan in a “totally positive and constructive atmosphere” in the Chinese capital.

As a result of the foreign ministerial meeting, the formal relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been officially re-established as of today, Kanaani noted.

The official highlighted that the two Muslim countries will exchange technical delegations within the next few days to make preparations for the reopening of embassies in Tehran and Riyadh as well as their respective consulates.

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Yes. The sudden announcement of agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia which happened in China and through involvement of Beijing amid some regional disputes between Tehran and Riyadh stunned and enraged the Zionists and still one can see the aftershocks of this political quake which can cement ties between Tehran and Riyadh and also strengthen the unity among Muslim world to stand against the excessive-demands of any trans-regional power.

Immediately after the announcement most of former and current Zionist officials expressed their dissatisfaction and anger about this agreement while the Zionists have been trying to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia but the Zionists never expected Tehran and Riyadh to thaw their ties and resolve their differences and it seems this agreement is encouraging other Persian Gulf states to reconsider their cold or lukewarm ties with Iran by pursuing serious and better relations. As some media outlets reported on Tuesday that Bahrain is considering resumption of ties with Iran.

On Monday a report echoed some of the after-shocks of this agreement as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly halted the purchase of advanced surface-to-air missile system from Israel amid political turmoil facing embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as anti-Palestinian remarks by two extremist Israeli ministers.

The Arabic-language Arabi21 online newspaper, citing a report by Israel’s Channel 12 television channel, said the UAE’s decision came in response to recent actions and statements by Israel’s so-called national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The channel quoted Israeli sources as saying that the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has announced the freeze on the deal.

“As long as we do not receive assurances that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is able to control his administration, we cannot undertake common projects,” Al Nahyan said.

Protests have been snowballing in the occupied territories over the past two months since Netanyahu’s controversial move to reform the judiciary.

Back on September 22 last year, Reuters cited two sources as saying that Israel had approved a UAE request and would supply the Persian Gulf state with Rafael-made SPYDER mobile interceptors.

A third source said the UAE had acquired Israeli technology capable of combating drone attacks like those that struck Abu Dhabi earlier that year.

Reports say Israel agreed to provide the UAE with the Rafael-made SPYDER mobile interceptors.

It was not clear how many interceptors, which are fitted to vehicles and can defend against short to long-range threats, would be supplied, or if any had already been shipped.

Back in 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed US-brokered agreements with Israel to normalize their ties with the regime. Some other Arab states, namely Sudan and Morocco, followed suit soon afterward.

The normalization deals have sparked widespread condemnations from the Palestinians as well as nations and human rights advocates across the globe, especially within the Muslim world.

This report comes while the Zionists have been trying to encourage Saudi Arabia for normalizing ties and even Israeli officials were very hopeful of it. But this  r showed a new shift in the policy of the UAE officials who had earlier resumed ties with the Zionists.

The Zionists in recent years have tried to frighten the Persian Gulf states through Iranophobia in order to get closer to those states and to some extent they have been successful in getting closer to the rulers of those states but now that Tehran and Riyadh have announced this agreement, the other Persian Gulf states see no need to fear the Islamic Republic because Riyadh which was the major Persian Gulf country at odd with Tehran is resolving its problem and it can bring peace and prosperity for the region.

We hope this agreement to come into effect very soon and both countries resume their diplomatic ties which is very crucial for easing tensions and problems.

Of course this move can encourage all Muslim countries to unite for standing against the enemies of Islam and especially against the Zionists who have always been trying to seed the sow of rift and conflicts in the region to make most of it.

Many countries especially the independent and peace-seeking ones have backed this move and they hope the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh would resolve many crisis in the region and eventually in the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported cooperation and friendship with the neighboring and regional countries based on the mutual interests and the agreement can turn into a turning point in the political development in the region which is important for all of states in the region.

The agreement also showed the world that the West is not the only party which can broker peace and this time China has taken initiative to bring Tehran and Riyadh closer together which has been warmly welcomed and proved the world that it can be a great actor in restoring peace and the West is not the only party which claims it is able to bring peace among the nations.

Now the countdown has started for the resumption of diplomatic ties, something which makes the Zionists feel the heat of the hell and definitely they will resort to any means to ruin this tie and Tehran and Riyadh should be well aware of any Zionist plot which is aimed at Iranophobia and normalization of ties with the Persian Gulf states.

Now the Zionists do not sleep well at nights because any moment they can witness an initiative from the Islamic Republic which will spoil their sleep.

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Iran and Saudi Arabia reportedly reached an agreement in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Friday to restore their diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions, seven years after their ties were broken off over several issues.

The agreement was struck on Friday after several days of intensive negotiations between Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing. It was officially announced in a joint statement by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.

The statement was inked by Shakhani, Musaid Al Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s national security adviser, and Wang Yi, the director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.

Shamkhani has been involved in intensive talks with his Saudi counterpart in Beijing since Monday to find a final solution to the issues between Tehran and Riyadh. The negotiations followed a meeting between Iranian President Raisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.

“As a result of the talks, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months,” the joint statement said.

It added that the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers will meet to “implement this decision and make the necessary arrangements for the exchange of ambassadors.”

According to the statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another. They agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports and youth affairs cooperation.

Iran, Saudi Arabia and China expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security, it emphasized.

The statement further explained that delegations from Iran and Saudi Arabia, led by Shamkhani and Aiban, held several meetings over the past five days following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s support for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Riyadh based on the principle of good neighborliness and his efforts to host meetings between Iranian and Saudi senior officials.

The talks between Shamkhani and Aiban were also held as a result of the keenness of Tehran and Riyadh to resolve differences through dialogue and diplomacy based on fraternal ties and both sides’ adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Charter and international rules and principles, it added.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.

The two sides had held five rounds of negotiations in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad since April 2021.

In their joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia also thanked Iraq and Oman for hosting the talks between the two sides in 2021 and 2022 as well as the leaders and government of the People’s Republic of China for hosting and supporting the talks held in that country.

Prior to the official announcement about the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shamkhani held a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The Iranian top security official hailed great efforts by Iraq to host five rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh.

He also commended Baghdad’s “very valuable” bids to prepare the ground for the new agreement between Tehran and Riyadh.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Shamkhani said the negotiations between the two countries were “frank, transparent, and comprehensive.”

“Clearing up the misunderstandings and looking to the future in Tehran-Riyadh relations will definitely lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Islamic world to manage the existing challenges,” he said.

Immediately after announcing the agreement, Zionist media outlets reacted and showed their anger regarding this agreement while Israeli officials have tried in recent months to normalize their ties with Riyadh and demonize the Islamic Republic of Iran for Saudis.

Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid was the first who reacted and said the Saudi-Iran deal is a dangerous development that strips Israel of its regional defensive wall against Iran.

“The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran reflects the complete and dangerous failure of the Israeli government’s foreign policy,” Lapid said as he used the moment to attack Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the agreement a “political victory” for Iran and a “serious and dangerous development for Israel.”

Israeli politicians immediately also expressed concern as the move appeared to throw a monkey wrench in one of Netanyahu’s new government’s chief policy initiatives — to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia.

Tehran and Riyadh can strengthen Muslim world through friendly ties and their cooperation will let no foreign force interfere in the affairs of the countries in the region, and countries in the region can settle their differences and resume their problems themselves without meddling of other states.

This will be a victorious move for the Islamic Revolution who has been under biased and negative propagations in recent months and Tehran once again showed its good will for cementing ties with regional states and resolving problems, and this big victory for Tehran is the biggest and bitterest blow to the Zionists who have tried to catch fish from the troubled water and fanning flame of rift between the countries in the region especially among the Muslim states. This is also an acid test for Saudis to show their sincerity for ties with Tehran.

And now the countdown has started for restoring ties by resumption of activities of embassies of the two countries which will be a sign of hope for greater future cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, two major and powerful countries of the region.

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The two countries started direct fence-mending talks last year, but Iran announced a temporary halt in March after Saudi Arabia executed 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades.

“The fifth round of talks between Saudi Arabia and Tehran were held in Iraq and the talks were progressive and positive,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a televised weekly news conference on Monday.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Sunday Baghdad would host a new round of talks between Tehran and Riyadh.

Hussein told the official Iraqi News Agency that the fifth round of talks was held a friendly atmosphere earlier this week.

Hussein had earlier stated that the Iraqi government would make every effort in order to create a suitable opportunity for a common understanding between the two regional powers.

Iran’s Nour News, affiliated with the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), first announced the fifth round of negotiations on Saturday.

The outlet described the negotiations as “positive”, with the two sides exchanging views on the main challenges hindering the resumption of bilateral relations.

“The positive atmosphere of the recent meeting has raised hopes for the two countries to take a step towards the resumption of relations. It is expected that a joint meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries will be held in the near future,” the news agency said in a tweet in Persian.

Meanwhile Khatibzadeh also condemned the latest acts of aggression by Israeli forces against worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of occupied al-Quds, stating that the issue of Palestine is the top priority of the Muslim world.

“We are witnessing that the first issue of the Muslim world, which is Palestine, has slipped into oblivion. The Zionist regime is cunningly and deceitfully trying to sideline the matter,” he said.

He added that Palestine is still the most crucial issue of the Muslim world, irrespective of all conspiracies being hatched by the Tel Aviv regime against it.

Khatibzadeh also noted that the issue of Palestine is the top priority of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and all freedom-loving countries that stand against racism.

The Iranian diplomat said the normalization of diplomatic relations between some Arab countries and Israel has emboldened the latter to press ahead with its criminal acts.

Elsewhere in his press conference, Khatibzadeh said that the resumption of negotiations in the Austrian capital over the removal of all sanctions that the United States imposed on Tehran is high on the agenda of delegates from the Islamic Republic and the five remaining parties to the 2015 deal.

“Anything to do with Iran, the European Union, Russia, and China has been settled during the talks. [Enrique Mora, the European Union’s] coordinator for the negotiations is pushing through what remains between Iran and the United States,” he said.

He underlined that both Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell agree that the prolongation of the halt of the talks in Vienna on a possible revival of the 2015 deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is not in the best interest of the negotiations.

Khatibzadeh further said a face-to-face meeting would better be arranged as soon as possible.

“No decision has yet been made on the venue and the level of the meeting, but it is high on the agenda. What is important is that the talks have not been stopped and are still underway despite the respite,” the Iranian diplomat pointed out.

Katibzadeh went on to say that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was notified of a transfer of Iranian centrifuge machines from TESA Karaj Complex, a centrifuge component manufacturing workshop near Tehran, to Natanz facility, and that the move took place nearly one year after an act of sabotage damaged cameras at the former site.

“Iran is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The centrifuges were transferred to a safe location following an act of sabotage and with prior notification of the agency,” he highlighted.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Past tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia in recent days have been replaced by positive signals for engagement and negotiation; the signs are evident in the speeches and statements of the Tehran-Riyadh’s officials.

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