(Reuters) – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan landed in Iran on Saturday amid a thaw between the two Middle Eastern adversaries, according to Iranian official television.
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in an agreement mediated by China to end a diplomatic schism and rebuild ties after years of antagonism that had threatened regional security in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.
On June 7, Iran reopened its embassy in Saudi Arabia.
After protestors stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran in reaction for Riyadh’s killing of a prominent Shiite cleric, the kingdom severed relations with Iran in 2016.
Bin Farhan is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his equivalent in Iran, Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Iran has lately attempted to repair frayed relations with many Gulf Arab governments.
Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Iran has left Israel almost alone in its diplomatic efforts to isolate Iran.
The UAE, the first Gulf Arab nation to sign a normalisation deal with Israel in 2020, reestablished official ties with Iran last year.
Later, Bahrain and Morocco joined the UAE in forging relations with Israel.