The White House welcomed the deal, but said it had yet to be noticed that the Iranians would “fulfill their obligations. “
France also welcomed the decision, saying it was in favor of dialogue but suggested Iran “renounce its destabilizing actions. “
U. N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement, saying it could “use its smart offices to further advance regional dialogue. “
“Good neighborly relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia contribute to the stability of the Gulf region,” he said through his spokesman.
Friday’s announcement follows days of unprecedented talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing and several rounds of discussions in Iraq and Oman.
In a trilateral statement, Shiite-majority Iran and Sunni Muslim-majority Saudi Arabia said they would revoke their embassies and missions within two months and put into effect security and economic cooperation agreements signed more than 20 years ago.
>> Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to repair after years of tensions
Riyadh severed ties after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in 2016, following Saudi Arabia’s execution of respected Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, one of the flashpoints of a series of hot spots between the two longtime rivals.
Detente between Saudi Arabia, the world’s most sensible oil exporter, and Iran, a pariah of Western governments because of its nuclear activities, can potentially reshape relations in a region that has been troubled for decades.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are vying in several areas of confrontation, including Yemen, where Houthi rebels receive subsidies from Tehran and Riyadh heads a military coalition that controls the government. The two sides are also vying for influence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group, called the deal a “good development. “
“This could simply open up new horizons in the region,” said Hassan Nasrallah, whose motion has been blacklisted as a “terrorist” organization in Saudi Arabia since 2016.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Saturday hailed the agreement as an “important step for stability and prosperity” in the region.
In Israel, the deal has drawn harsh complaints from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made it clear that he will integrate Saudi Arabia into a regional alliance opposed to Iran.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said it represented “a general failure of the Israeli government’s foreign policy. “
Still, regional observers have warned that the real implications of the deal are not transparent, either in terms of long-term cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran and in Israel-Riyadh relations.
The concept that Saudi Arabia was exclusively interested in Israel as a component of a possible anti-Iran front has been “superficial,” said Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian.
With Friday’s news, “you obviously see that Saudi Arabia has prioritized rapprochement with Iran over an open rapprochement with Israel,” he added.
But “that doesn’t mean that the tranquility with Israel will stop. From now on, the relationship with Iran is a variable that is part of the calculation. “
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, has long voiced its support for Israel for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
This year’s violence between Israelis and Palestinians has made public progress unlikely anytime soon, said Umar Karim, an expert on Saudi politics at the University of Birmingham.
“Lately there’s no incentive for the Saudis to temporarily normalize with Israel,” he said.
(with AFP and REUTERS)