Saudi Prince holds talks with Iraqi PM on oil attacks & border tension

Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, held talks with Iraq's Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi for talks on Wednesday that focused on attacks on the kingdom's oil infrastructure. According to a Saudi Press, the meeting was held with regards to regional development, ending attacks on Saudi Aramco plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, and on the stability and security of the kingdom. 

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Iraq PM and Saud Crown Prince hold talks, discuss escalated tensions 

The September 14 attacks on state oil giant Aramco, which impacted the kingdom's crude output and sent global energy markets into a tailspin, have escalated regional tensions. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks, however, the US said the attacks used cruise missiles that were from Iran which was viewed by the US as "an act of war". Apart from the US, France, Germany, and the UK have blamed Iran for the oil attacks.

Iraq denied any link with the attacks when reports arose that the strikes were launched from the country. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also said there was no evidence the attacks were launched from Iraq. The meet between the two leaders signals a warming up of ties between Baghdad and Riyadh after decades of strain. The Arar border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq was closed in 1990 after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. It was reopened 2 years later, which will possibly run on a trial basis from October 15.

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Saudi waives fees on expats working in the industrial sector

The Saudi press agency also reported Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadban separately held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salma. In recent months the ties have indicated symptoms of gaining stronger hold after a flurry of visits between the two countries as Riyadh seeks to counter Iran's strong presence in Iraqi politics. In a recent development, Saudi Waives fees on expatriate workers in the industrial sector, for which the government will bear costs as of October 1, 2019, for five years. The industrial sector is a move undertaken by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the economy away from crude and create millions of jobs for Saudi.

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