Originally published in Tehran Times

Richard W. Murphy, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Syria and Saudi Arabia, says “improvement in Saudi-Iranian relations would be a major step towards increasing regional stability.”

“The long history of suspicion and mistrust means any improvement will be slow and will require top level support on both sides,” Murphy tells the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview.

Murphy, who retired in 1989 after serving 34 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, also says U.S. pivot to Asia “does not mean to abandon” the Middle East