Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Iran has arrived in the country, and his counterpart has landed in Saudi, cementing a restoration of ties between the Gulf rivals after a seven-year rupture.
Last March, China brokered a rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, leading to a resumption of full diplomatic relations.
Riyadh and Tehran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Saudi Arabia’s leadership recognises the “importance of strengthening ties, increasing engagement … and taking the [relationship] to broader horizons”, Ambassador Abdullah Alanazi said upon his arrival in Tehran on Tuesday to take up his duties, according to a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement.
Also on Tuesday, Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh where he was received by foreign ministry officials and embassy staff, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Alanazi was formerly Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Oman, while Enyati was previously Iran’s Kuwait envoy.
