On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran announced that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have decided to meet as soon as possible to lay the groundwork for the reopening of embassies and consulate generals between the two countries.
The two Ministers were concerned about the issues during a phone call to congratulate each other on the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to the Ministry.
The Saudi Foreign Minister emphasized the positive results of the China meeting, in which the two countries signed an agreement to normalize relations after seven years, and emphasized the significance of meeting his Iranian counterpart soon and reopening embassies.
Meanwhile, Amir-Abdollahian voiced satisfaction with the detente reached between Tehran and Riyadh, highlighting Iran’s willingness to develop and heighten bilateral relations.
On March 10, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran revealed that Riyadh and Tehran had reached an agreement to continue diplomatic ties and reopen embassies and missions within two months.
While Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Riyadh on Sunday.
Following the agreement to restore diplomatic relations, the two countries announced that embassies will reopen within two months, as well as trade and security relations. Saudi Arabia severed relations in January 2016 after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran following the execution of prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on terror-related charges.
Since then, stresses have been increased between the Sunni- and Shia-led neighbors, with each noticing the other as a threatening power seeking regional dominance. They have been on opposing sides in several regional conflicts, including Syria and Yemen’s civil wars.
