MIDDLE EAST - Saudi Arabia Reestablishes Ties with Iran
Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia reopened its gates for the first time in seven years, a Reuters witness said, under a deal to re-establish ties that could ease a long-standing rivalry that has helped fuel conflicts around the Middle East.
The mission had been closed since Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh’s execution of a Shi’ite cleric. The kingdom subsequently asked Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours while it evacuated its embassy staff from Tehran.
The relationship had begun worsening a year earlier, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen's war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement had ousted a Saudi-backed government and taken over the capital Sanaa.
The hostility between the two regional arch-rivals and major oil producers helped to fuel strife around the region. They agreed to end their diplomatic rift and reopen their diplomatic missions in a deal brokered by China.
-www.reuters.com, 12 April 2023
Arno's Commentary
The rapprochement between the two hostile nations is significant, since according to Worldometers.info, Saudi Arabia has 16.2% of the world’s reserve, with Iran having another 9.1%. Thus, these two countries are major players in the world economy, which is still fueled by oil.
Noticeable is the fact that not the Europeans or the Americans, but communist China brokered the deal. Their growing influence as a global power can no longer be denied, and will increase significantly in the not-too-distant future. According to WorldPopulationReview.com, China leads the world with 695,400 patent applications; the US has 595,700.
We continue to emphasize that unity, prosperity, and security comprise the necessary foundation for the establishment of a truly global society.
Consider the progressive work of ecumenism. Britannica.com states: “During and after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65), Roman Catholics used ecumenism to refer to the renewal of the whole life of the church, undertaken to make it more responsive to ‘separated churches’ and to the needs of the world.”
We point out, however, that any and all unity-seeking organizations do not necessarily represent the Church of Jesus Christ, His body, or as the Bible defines us, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the tendency is clear: unity. That is in the works not only within Churchianity, but also among all religions of the world.
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
