Under Iran’s ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran and Saudi Arabia used to enjoy close political and economical relationships. Over the past few years, political disagreements between the two countries have damaged relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused of supporting Shia opposition groups in Saudi Arabia. On the other side, Iranian officials have reportedly condemned Saudi Arabia for providing financial and intelligence support to Islamic terrorist organizations in the Middle East region.
Nowadays, almost all countries in the world are monitoring the attacks carried out by ISIS, an Islamic terrorist organization. Although the United States is going to form a coalition to eradicate this group, many believe that Iran can also help the U.S. in fighting against ISIS. However, the U.S. government has denied asking for Iran’s help in this regard.
An Iranian researcher Farshad Bahari says Iran and Saudi Arabia should start improving their political relationships in order to fight against ISIS.
“At this time, the regional governments cannot work with each other to eliminate the threats posed by ISIS. Political disagreements between Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE don’t allow these countries to lay out a working plan to eradicate terrorist organizations,” Bahari said on Tuesday.
“Reports prove that Iran is supporting militant groups in Lebanon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the Arab nations are also helping Islamist groups in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan. In my opinion, this is a complex and unique condition in the Middle East region. All the governments need to evaluate the conditions in order to make the best decision with regard to stopping the advance of ISIS,” Farshad Bahari added.
According to Bahari, the Iranian government should consider taking advantage of the influence of Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to rebuild political relations with the Arab nations.