Free Trial

Saudi Crown Prince, Iranian Pres. Hold First Call Amid Israel-Hamas War

MIDEAST

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have held their first phone call amid the escalation in regional tensions due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. During the 11 October call the two discussed the "need to end war crimes against Palestine," according to Iranian state media, while Saudi media reported that MBS "affirmed that the Kingdom is making all possible efforts in communicating with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation,".

  • The two regional powers have fostered closer relations in recent months since restoring diplomatic relations as part of a China-brokered deal. The roles of Riyadh and Tehran could prove important in the context of the war. For its part, it will be very likely if not impossible for Saudi to move towards the normalisation of relations with Israel while any attacks on the Gaza strip are taking place.
  • With Iran there is significant focus on whether Hezbollah in Lebanon - which has close links to Tehran - seeks its own conflict with Israel, as well as whether any link is established between Iran and Hamas' attacks.
  • Reuters reportsthat in response to the call, a US State Dep't spox stated that the US was encouraging its regional allies "to get Hamas to stand down from its attacks, to release hostages, keep Hezbollah out (and) keep Iran out of the fray."

To read the full story

Close

Why MNI

MNI is the leading provider

of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.

Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.