The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran held on Tuesday a rare phone conversation. This development comes as the Iranian president is about to arrive in Lebanon for an historic visit, amid growing domestic tension between the Iran-backed Hizbullah bloc and th Saudi Arabia-baced Sunni camp. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Saudi King Abdullah discussed regional affairs including the situation in Iraq and Lebanon, the official Saudi News Agency SPA said.
The leaders "discussed bilateral relations and reviewed the overall situation in the region", SPA added.
Regarding Iraq, the Saudis fear an Iranian-backed government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and have been supporters of former prime minister Eyad Allawi. On Sunday, Allawi held talks with Abdullah on a visit to Riyadh.
