According to Iran’s semiofficial news agency, Saudi Arabia and Iran have reached an agreement to reopen diplomatic missions in their respective capitals and additional cities.
The agreement was reportedly reached during a meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries in Beijing.
As part of a deal brokered by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to study the possibility of resuming flights between the two nations and facilitating the visa process for their citizens. Despite being regional rivals for a long time, the two countries have moved towards reconciliation, culminating in the recent agreement.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the ISNA report.
The agreement represents a new step toward reconciliation after seven years of tension, and lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals – both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region.
The deal was brokered by Beijing. It represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, had a formal meeting on Thursday to discuss the details of reopening embassies.
The meeting was the first of its kind since 2016 when the kingdom broke ties with Iran after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran. The two ministers were shown shaking hands and sitting side by side on Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV and on Iran’s state TV.
It was the first formal meeting of senior diplomats from the two nations since 2016, when the kingdom broke ties with Iran after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering the demonstrations.
Source: livemint