Saudi foreign ministry says delegation arrives in Iran
A Saudi “technical delegation” has met the Iranian chief of protocol at the foreign ministry in Tehran, media report.
A diplomatic delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Tehran to discuss reopening its diplomatic missions after a seven-year absence, Riyadh’s foreign ministry said.
The visit followed a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers in China this week, after they agreed last month to restore diplomatic relations.
Saturday’s visit is part of “the implementation of the tripartite agreement” reached on March 10 between the two regional powers, brokered by China, to restore relations broken in 2016, the Saudi foreign ministry said, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
A Saudi “technical delegation” met Iran’s chief of protocol at the foreign ministry in Tehran, SPA reported.
The two countries severed ties in 2016 after protesters in Iran attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of a prominent Shiite leader in Riyadh.
The rapprochement between mainly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, and Shiite-majority Iran, which is at strong odds with Western governments over its nuclear activities, has the potential to strain relations in a region already has been characterized by turbulence for decades, to reshape.
Under last month’s agreement, the two countries must reopen their embassies and missions within two months and implement security and economic cooperation agreements signed more than 20 years ago.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited by Saudi King Salman to Riyadh, a trip scheduled after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Iran and Saudi Arabia compete for influence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
They also support rival parties in several conflict zones in the region, including in Yemen, where Houthi rebels are aligning themselves with Tehran and Riyadh is leading a government-supporting military coalition.
In a separate development on Saturday, mediators from Oman arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa to discuss a new ceasefire between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, the AFP news agency reported, citing an airport source.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have gained momentum since the Chinese-brokered Saudi-Iranian deal to restore relations.