A photoshoot bringing together Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iran’s new chief diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would have been a major media achievement for the recent regional summit in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi invested major political capital in the Aug. 28 summit—particularly as it came ahead of the upcoming Oct. parliamentary elections—in line with his efforts to groom an image as a trusted interlocutor.

But Amir-Abdollahian’s decision to violate protocol during the conference family photo, standing in the first row—alongside heads of government and state rather than other foreign ministers in the second row—had implications on several fronts, an informed political source close to the Iraqi government told Amwaj.media.

A lost opportunity

The ruckus over the photo has been reported previously, but the extent of its consequences is only now becoming clear as the dust from the summit settles.

“The prime minister was very upset with what happened,” the political source in Baghdad elaborated, explaining that there were also other reasons for the Iraqis to feel uneasy. Amir-Abdollahian was supposed to stand next to Farhan, but instead ended up on the other side of the family photo, next to United Arab Emirates (UAE) Prime Minister, Vice-President and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum.

A Saudi diplomat who preferred not to be named shared his delegation’s side of the story with Amwaj.media. He explained, “Following the summit, the Iraqi side exerted efforts to bring together HRH Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and the Iranian foreign minister to meet and take a photo together.” However, he also revealed that “the Kingdom’s delegation refused to meet Amir-Abdollahian.”

The Saudi diplomat elaborated that the delegation from Riyadh “told Iraqi officials that there was a chance to have a chat during the official photoshoot, but the Iranian foreign minister preferred to undermine the protocol and stand with the heads of state. This in itself was a negative message from him.”

Amir-Abdollahian himself offered a different version of events in an Aug. 30 interview with Iranian state TV. In reply to a question about the controversy over the family photo, he asserted, “I stood in the real position of Iran and the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Amir-Abdollahian also spoke of his encounter with the Saudi delegation at the summit, claiming that he was “greeted” and told that Saudi Arabia was “waiting” for Iran’s new government to take shape for the bilateral dialogue between the two countries to resume.

Dialogue survives photo blunder

The summit was supposed to be an opportunity for Tehran and Riyadh to push forward their efforts to achieve rapprochement after years of tensions. But despite the photo row, a new round of talks will be held in Baghdad in the coming two weeks to try to bridge differences, an Iranian diplomat told Amwaj.media, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

Over the past few months, three rounds of talks in Baghdad have brought together Iranian and Saudi officials in a bid to reach understandings on regional issues. These talks were preceded by several secret meetings that brought together officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE in different constellations.

Mindful of the above, Amir-Abdollahian notably also had a conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the Baghdad summit. In his Aug. 30 interview on Iranian state television, the Iranian foreign minister quoted Kadhimi as telling him and Sisi that the three countries have “enormous potentials” for cooperation. While the latter may not seem particularly noteworthy, it is important to bear in mind that Iran and Egypt have had very limited relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Bilateral ties warmed in the years following the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2013 becoming the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since the Islamic Revolution. But the thaw stopped when Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt came to an end. Given Sisi’s proximity to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, his conversation with Amir-Abdollahian is additionally notable.

Of further note, the Iranian foreign minister tweeted after the summit that he “had a friendly and positive conversation” with the ruler of Dubai. He added that the two spoke of “the positive intentions” of Iranian and Emirati “leaders” to further the “consolidation of ties.”

Syria and next steps

While asserting that bilateral talks between Iranian and Saudi delegations will soon resume, the Iranian diplomat stressed that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) will continue to oversee the initiative, saying that “the foreign ministry will play a role in the talks but is not the institution that is in charge.”

This would explain why the Iran-Saudi talks do not appear to have been impacted by the photo blunder in Baghdad. It would also clarify why Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani is said to be keeping his current position as SNSC secretary at least for the next few months. Given the power transition in Tehran, with the coming into office of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi, the SNSC has uncharacteristically not undergone major changes at its secretariat so far. Of further note, the Iranian delegation that has been meeting with the Saudis is said to have been led by SNSC deputy secretary Saeed Iravani.

The Iraqi political source also revealed to Amwaj.media that the summit in Baghdad was not a one-off. He elaborated, “The participants are mulling the idea of making this an annual gathering; each time in a different capital. Moreover, there is a possibility that other regional countries will join whenever their circumstances allow for it to happen.”

In his remarks at the Baghdad summit, the Iranian foreign minister criticized his host’s decision not to invite Syria, which he visited immediately following the end of the gathering in the Iraqi capital. Amir-Abdollahian also stated that it was “necessary” for Damascus to be at the table.

Of further note, France’s President Emmanuel Macron has been blamed for Syria's exclusion from the summit. Macron stood out as the sole non-regional head of state to attend the gathering. In this vein, Iraqi MP Amer al-Fayez on Aug. 25 stated that Syria’s absence was a French “condition” for Macron to show up.

While Kadhimi’s office did not show any reaction to Amir-Abdollahian’s comments at the time, the Iraqi political source told Amwaj.media, “The prime minister wants Syria to return to the Arab League. There is a need for Syria to be back, and we are trying on different fronts.” He added, “There is a meeting slated to soon be held that will bring together a very senior Syrian security official with a very senior Turkish security official. Hopefully this will have its impact on the regional picture.”