Iranian-Saudi Deal Highlights Khamenei’s Control Over Tehran’s Foreign Policy

Iran and Saudi Arabia’s agreement to restore diplomatic relations is a major development at the regional and global levels. The deal was signed following meetings in Beijing between the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, and Saudi Arabia’s national security advisor and minister of state, Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban. The Chinese-brokered deal may transform Iran’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states more broadly and have implications for the positions of China and the United States in the region. Further, it sheds light on who really directs Iran’s foreign policy.