Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian landed in Riyadh on Thursday, his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since a historic rapprochement in March, according to state media.
A compromise mediated by China resulted in the long-time adversaries agreeing to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies.
Iran and Saudi Arabia suspended diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran were assaulted during protests against Riyadh’s murder of Shia preacher Nimr al-Nimr.
Amir-Abdollahian “arrived at Riyadh Airport a few minutes ago for a one-day trip and was welcomed by Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister”, the state news agency IRNA said.
According to the IRIB official broadcaster, the visit will “focus on bilateral ties, regional and international issues.”
According to IRNA, Amir-Abdollahian will meet with his Saudi counterpart and other officials in the country.
According to the report, the minister was accompanied by the new Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
According to state media, Tehran nominated Alireza Enayati, a former ambassador to Kuwait, as the Islamic Republic’s Saudi envoy in May.
Mending relations
In June, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan became the first Saudi foreign minister to visit Iran since 2006.
Iran had reopened its embassy in Riyadh earlier that month with a flag-raising ceremony.
According to Iranian state media, military representatives from both nations met on the margins of a security conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
This week, Amir-Abdollahian stated that the new ambassador to Riyadh will accompany him on Thursday’s visit to “officially start his mission.”
Iran announced on August 9 that the Saudi embassy in Tehran has begun operations, but Riyadh has yet to acknowledge.
For years, Iran and Saudi Arabia have backed opposite factions in Middle Eastern crises.
Iran has in recent months been at odds with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over a disputed gas field.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait claim “sole ownership” to the field — known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — with Tehran warning it would “pursue its right” to the offshore zone if negotiations fail.
Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity in recent months and pushed for closer ties with other Arab countries in a bid to reduce its isolation and improve its economy.
Since the March deal, Saudi Arabia has restored ties with Iranian ally Syria and ramped up a push for peace in Yemen, where it has for years led a military coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi forces.
The Islamic Republic has been reeling under crippling US sanctions since Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal under then-president Donald Trump.
Since President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal in 2018, the Islamic Republic has been subjected to punishing US sanctions.
