Arab News joins the Nowruz celebrations, heralding a new era for Middle Eastern ties

In 2020, artists from around the world, including Iranians, gathered in the city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia to celebrate Nowruz, or the Persian New Year. Now, in 2023, Saudi Arabia's leading English-language newspaper, Arab News, is celebrating Nowruz in its own unique way.

The newspaper has published a special piece entitled "Happy Nowruz" along with an article by its editor-in-chief entitled "This Nowruz may be a ‘new day’ for the whole Middle East."

This message from Saudi Arabia comes amidst a thaw in relations between the two countries of Iran and Saudi Arabia, along with political messages of a different kind from the United States.

At the White House, the song that has become an unofficial anthem of protests in Iran was played.

In this occasion, the US President Joe Biden stated that “the US stands with those brave women and all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their conviction. He also emphasized their courage, saying it is a genuine one.

“Together with our partners, we are going to continue to hold Iran and the Iranian officials accountable for their attacks against their people,” Biden stressed.

The US president then indicated that “this holidays offers a moment to reach out together to begin to climb toward a new day, one full of hope and possibilities.”

However, in response to Biden’s recent statements and on the occasion of Nowruz, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a speech after a three-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He directed his comments towards Washington, accusing the US of being behind the conflict in Ukraine. Khamenei also pointed out that Iran's progress in regional relations is the West's greatest failure in trying to isolate the country.

Nowruz is a celebration of new beginnings and this year it carries the potential for new political ties in the region. 

With the Arab News' celebratory feature, it appears that Saudi Arabia is taking a step towards improving relations with Iran, setting a positive tone for the future.