Saudi King’s Letter To The Rahbar

Editor

Dhu al-Qa'dah 03, 1446 2025-05-01

Editorials

by Editor (Editorials, Crescent International Vol. 55, No. 3, Dhu al-Qa'dah, 1446)

What prompted Saudi king Salman to send a personal letter to the Rahbar Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei of Iran? The letter was hand-delivered on April 17 by Khalid bin Salman, son of the king and defence minister of the kingdom.

According to protocol, the Rahbar receives only heads of state or government. Khalid bin Salman is neither. He was granted audience because he had come to deliver a letter from his father, king Salman.

Since neither side has revealed what was in the letter, there is much speculation about its content. What is known so far is that the letter was hand-written by the Saudi king indicating a level of intimacy and expression of sincerity. It went beyond the normal protocol of typing the letter and the king signing it. Only time will tell if the Saudis are truly sincere and whether they can be trusted.

Let us continue with the known facts before we enter the domain of speculation about the letter’s content and what prompted it. In addition to meeting the Rahbar, the Saudi defence minister who led a large delegation of military personnel also met other top Iranian official.

He met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces Mohammad Bagheri. The high level meetings indicate that both sides are keen to enhance relations that were restored in March 2023 through Chinese mediation.

Relations between the two regional powerhouses nosedived after Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Muhammad bin Salman’s (MbS) intemperate remarks in November 2017 about the Rahbar. Iran called him “immature” and warned him to take heed of the fate of other dictators in the region.

It is revealing that the Saudi monarch did not choose to send MbS to deliver his letter to the Rahbar. That would have been an unwise choice and MbS may not have been welcomed in Tehran.

Unlike his older brother, Khalid bin Salman is not known to be ill-mannered. During their meeting, the Rahbar said to the young Saudi visitor, “We believe that relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia will be beneficial for both countries, and the two countries can complement each other,” Iran’s IRNA news agency reported.

“It is much better for brothers in the region to cooperate and help each other than to rely on others,” he added. This was a clear reference to Saudi reliance on the US and zionist Israel for protection.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian made similar remarks during his meeting with Khalid bin Salman. “Iran and Saudi Arabia can resolve many of the region’s problems by relying on their joint capacities and without the need for foreign intervention,” according to IRNA.

On the Saudi side, Al-Arabiya English, quoting the state-owned news agency, SPA said “bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed and issues and topics of common interest were discussed.” Such bland statements are the norm in Saudi media outlets. They issue such statements because they have nothing concrete to report.

When officials of two countries meet, what else are they expected to discuss besides “issues of common interest”? There was no mention of what the Saudi defence minister said to his Iranian hosts apart from generic statements about improving relations.

Other media outlets, such as Amwaj media, quoting informed sources in Tehran said the Saudi king’s letter mentioned four areas: Palestine, Yemen, bilateral security and Iran’s diplomatic engagement with the US. Again, specific details were missing.

Given rising regional tensions and the ongoing zionist genocide in Gaza, it is not difficult to surmise what the Saudis may have communicated to the Iranians. Tehran has made clear that if the zionists carry out any strikes against Iran, regional countries that facilitate such attacks, whether by commission or omission, will be legitimate targets for retaliation.

The Saudis—and indeed the Emiratis and Qataris that all host US military bases—know what this means. Their oil facilities, concrete and steel towers and palaces will go up in smoke. If Iran suffers damage, so must the perpetrators and facilitators of such crimes. The Bedouins will go back to living in tents and riding camels.

So, let us speculate what the Saudi king might have said in his letter to the Rahbar. It may have contained a plea to Iran not to hit them because they (the Saudis) are helpless in preventing the US or zionists from carrying out attacks using their territory, especially their air space. Further, they depend on American protection to remain in power.

There was a hint of this in the Rahbar’s message to the Saudi emissary. “It is much better for brothers in the region to cooperate and help each other than to rely on others,” he told the Saudi visitor. Will the Saudis take heed?

As Bedouins, treachery is in their genes. And as cowards, they only respond when they know the other side is much stronger. Throughout the Banu Saud rule in the Arabian Peninsula, their policies have caused immense damage to Islam and Muslims, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran. They have always sided with the enemies of Islam.

In dealing with the Banu Saud, Islamic Iran should exercise caution. If they can convince the Bedouins—whether by reason or the threat of the use of force—to not side with the imperialists and zionists, that would serve the cause of Islam and Muslims. It will also limit the capacity of the war criminals in carrying out their criminal acts.

If the Muslim regimes surrounding Palestine were to pool their resources, they could easily bring the zionists to their knees. That, however, requires commitment and the will to stand up for truth and justice. Those are qualities badly lacking in the Saudis and their fellow Bedouin rulers.