Saudi-Iran reconciliation: Implications for the Middle East and beyond.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to reopen their diplomatic missions and discuss resuming flights between them, marking a significant step towards ending their years-long rift that fuelled instability in the Middle East. The two powers had backed opposite sides in proxy wars in several countries across the region, including Syria and Yemen. The Saudi-Iranian deal comes as Arab isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is thawing, and opposition to Iran is growing in Iraq, which has opened a potential pathway for Saudi Arabian influence.