Saudi Arabia's Messages to Iran's President

He emphasized that Iran, however, is waiting for palpable signs of a shift in the Saudi policies, saying the kingdom should first stop the war on Yemen and end the massacre of Yemenis.

Tehran welcomes a genuine change in Riyadh’s behavior, the spokesman said, adding that neighbors of Iran will be part of an Iranian-initiated coalition for regional peace.

Countries from outside the region will be excluded from the ‘Hormuz Peace Endeavor’, Rabiee underlined.

In comments in July, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman described a call from Riyadh for talks with Tehran as a “positive signal”, saying the Islamic Republic welcomed any initiative for unconditional resolution of regional issues.

“Iran has repeatedly called for the settlement of problems among Islamic countries without preconditions, and warmly welcomes any measure that would result in the proximity of Islamic countries,” Abbas Mousavi said.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the Riyadh-allied former regime and crush the Houthis -- objectives that have failed to materialize due to Yemenis’ stiff resistance.

Since the war began, there have been tens of thousands of civilian casualties. Millions of Yemenis now subsist beneath the poverty line and hundreds of thousands of children are suffering and dying from malnutrition.

The Western-backed military aggression, coupled with a naval blockade, has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.