Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Faisal Bin Farhan has arrived in Tehran seven years after his country broke ties with Iran.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in March, in a deal brokered by China, to end a diplomatic rift and re-establish relations following years of hostility that had endangered regional stability including in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.
The kingdom broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering the demonstrations.
Prince Faisal is due to meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Gulf Arab states.
Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement with Iran has left Israel largely alone as it has sought to isolate Iran diplomatically.
The United Arab Emirates, which was the first Gulf Arab country to sign a normalisation agreement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran last year.
Bahrain and Morocco later joined the UAE in establishing ties with Israel.
According to INSA news agency, the Saudi FM will officially reopen his country’s embassy in Tehran.
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