A SURPRISE deal to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran will reverberate across and beyond the Middle East, analysts said Friday, touching everything from Yemen’s war to China’s influence in the Middle East. The agreement calls for the long-time rivals “to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months.” One party after another, including the U.N. secretary-general, has expressed its welcome to the trilateral joint statement. It is in the interests of all. The deal ends the rupture that emerged in 2016 after protesters in Shiite-majority Iran attacked the diplomatic missions of mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia following the Saudi execution of revered Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Well before that incident, the regional heavyweights had been on opposing sides of a number of disputes, and recent bilateral talks had not appeared to yield much progress. That made Friday’s announcement all the more unexpected, said Dina Esfandiary of the International Crisis Group. Analyst Hussein Ibish agreed, calling it “a major development in Middle East diplomacy.” The deal’s implications may be felt most immediately in Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels since 2015. A truce announced nearly a year ago expired last October, but Saudi-Huthi talks in recent weeks have fuelled speculation about a deal that could allow Riyadh to partly disengage from the fighting, according to diplomats following the process. “It’s very likely that Tehran commits to pressuring its allies in Yemen to be more forthcoming on ending the conflict in that country,” said Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW). By mending ties with Iran — and potentially stepping back from Yemen — Saudi Arabia can continue a wide-ranging diplomatic push that has also involved recent rapprochements with Qatar and Türkiye. The charm offensive could even extend to the regional reintegration of Syria, which Saudi Arabia has opposed partly because of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s close ties to Iran, said Aron Lund of the Century International think tank. Beyond its intra-regional consequences, several analysts said, Friday’s breakthrough is significant for how it came about: with talks brokered by China. Saudi analysts said Friday China’ role makes it more likely that the deal with Iran will endure. The deal also indicates China, a permanent pursuer of peace and stability, is prepared to take on a bigger role in the Middle East. (SD-Agencies) | 