Saudi Arabia, Iran seek peace, may continue patch-up talks

A glimmer of peace emerged in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia and Iran are said to have agreed to hold talks this month in a bid to ease tension between the two rivals.

Reuters said that the Iranian official and one of the regional sources familiar with the matter clarified that the April 9 meeting in Iraq, first reported by the Financial Times on Sunday, did not lead to any breakthrough.

As per the information, the meeting focused on Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition has been battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group since March 2015.

"This was a low-level meeting to explore whether there might be a way to ease ongoing tensions in the region," the Iranian official said, adding that the meeting was based on Iraq's request.

Earlier this month, Iraq's Prime Minister had visited the United Arab Emirates and held talks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince.

The talks also touched on Lebanon, which is facing a political vacuum amid a dire financial crisis, the second regional source said.

Gulf Arab states are apparently alarmed by the expanding role of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

The talk is perceived to be a significant step in the relationship between the two nations since 2016 and comes in the background of U.S. President Joe Biden's attempt to revive the nuclear deal Iran signed with global powers in 2015.

However, the Financial Times report said that a senior Saudi official denied that there had been any talks with Iran.