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Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban's rise pressures Iran and Saudi Arabia to bury the hatchet

As US exits Afghanistan, rivals band together to face common threat

Iran and Saudi Arabia are trying to bridge their longtime hostilities following the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan. (Nikkei montage/AP)

DUBAI -- After years of feuding, Iran and Saudi Arabia are ramping up efforts to bridge their longtime hostilities as the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan threatens to spread chaos beyond Central Asia and destabilize the Middle East as well.

As Middle East power brokers, Iran and Saudi Arabia see the Taliban as a shared threat. With the U.S. also planning to withdraw troops from Iraq, the countries could seek even deeper cooperation to fill the power vacuum left in the region.

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