China Urges Iran and Saudi Arabia to Maintain Calm

Last week, China sent a delegation to Saudi Arabia and Iran, urging both countries to remain calm regarding the tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. According to Reuters, on Monday, January 21, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced in separate statements that "Zhang Ming," the country's Deputy Foreign Minister, met with senior Saudi and Iranian officials during his visit to the region. In these statements, "Zhang Ming" mentioned in Saudi Arabia regarding the tensions between Tehran and Riyadh that "we hope the relevant parties, by maintaining calm and restraint, will increase dialogue and consultations and jointly strive to improve the situation." The Deputy Foreign Minister of China also expressed his hope for maintaining peace and stability in the region during his visit to Iran. The execution of a Shiite cleric critical of the government in Saudi Arabia, followed by a group attack in Iran on Saudi diplomatic sites, has worsened relations between the two countries, with many Arab countries supporting Saudi Arabia's position. China's diplomatic activity to improve relations among countries in the Middle East is considered unprecedented. Unlike the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council—namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia—China has been less active in regional diplomatic affairs despite its economic dependence on Middle Eastern oil. In the meantime, the Fars news agency reported that 220 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly issued a statement on Monday morning during a public session, protesting against what they called "the crimes of the Al Saud, the severing of relations by some countries with Iran, and the attack on the Iranian embassy in Yemen." These representatives accused Al Saud of being a "breeding ground for terrorist thought" and claimed that it "actively engages in activities to strengthen Zionist approaches and weaken Muslim countries." Abbas Mokhtadaei, a representative from Isfahan, told Fars regarding the content of this statement that "the representatives have also asked the Foreign Ministry to seriously pursue the military assault on the Islamic Republic's embassy in Yemen in international forums, and in addition, they have requested the Ministry of Interior to take legal action regarding the arbitrary assault on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which has practically harmed the interests of the Islamic Republic." Tehran accused Saudi Arabia on January 7 of targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran's embassy in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, with its aircraft. One day after Iran threatened to file a complaint against Saudi Arabia with the UN regarding this matter, Saudi Arabia denied the news of this attack. The Saudi coalition's coordination headquarters in Yemen announced that no attack had been carried out on the Iranian embassy in Sana'a or near this location. In this context, Zarif stated: "Saudi Arabia's strategy is to continue and escalate tensions in the region." The Arab League condemned the attacks on Saudi diplomatic locations in Iran. De Mistura stated that the tensions between Tehran and Riyadh do not affect the resolution of the Syrian crisis.