Saudi Arabia responded to a distress call from an Iranian-flagged ship in the Red Sea on Thursday, Saudi state media reported. The ship, which was carrying 13 people, requested assistance after one of its crew members was injured.
The Saudi navy dispatched a vessel to the scene, and the injured crew member was taken to a hospital in Jeddah for treatment. The other 12 crew members were unharmed.
The Saudi government has a policy of responding to distress calls from all ships, regardless of their flag. This policy was in effect even before the recent thaw in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The two countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties in March 2023, after nearly six years of estrangement. Since then, they have taken a number of steps to improve their relationship, including exchanging high-level visits and resuming cooperation on security issues.
The Saudi response to the distress call is seen as a further sign of the improving relations between the two countries. It suggests that Saudi Arabia is willing to cooperate with Iran on humanitarian issues, even as the two countries continue to disagree on a number of other issues.