Saudi Arabia and Iran squash decades of hostility with unprecedented joint military drills

One year ago, Saudi Arabia and Israel were on the precipice of a normalization deal that would have realigned the Middle East and further isolated Iran. 

This week, Saudi Arabia and Iran held their first-ever joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, their ministries revealed, in what would seem to be a sign of rapprochement between the longtime regional foes. 

"The Royal Saudi Naval Forces had recently concluded a joint naval exercise with the Iranian Naval Forces alongside other countries in the Sea of Oman," Saudi armed forces spokesperson Turki al-Malki confirmed to the French news outlet AFP.

He added "no other exercises are being addressed during this period of time." 

Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016 and have long backed opposing sides in regional conflicts. They resumed relations last year in a China-brokered deal, even as the U.S. hoped to bring them into an Abraham Accords-style deal that would normalize their relationship with Tehran's enemy number-one, Israel. 

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Iran claimed that it was Saudi Arabia that organized the drills.