RIYADH: An Iranian delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to pave the way for reopening of Tehran’s diplomatic missions in Riyadh, Iranian state media reported, as the Gulf rivals prepare to normalise relations.
The Iranian delegation arrived in the Saudi capital on Wednesday to visit and reopen its embassy and consulate in accordance with a recent agreement between the two Middle East powerhouses, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
The visit comes a week after a delegation from Saudia arrived in Tehran on a similar diplomatic trip brokered by China and follows a historic meeting between the foreign ministers of the two Gulf countries in Beijing.
Longtime regional rivals pledge to work together
Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two longtime regional rivals, have now pledged to work together.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited by Saudi King Salman to Riyadh, a visit planned to take place after Ramazan.
The two countries severed diplomatic ties after protesters in Iran attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent cleric.
The two gulf states conducted several rounds of talks in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement in Beijing, negotiated over five days between Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart Musaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban.
