Officials have started initial diplomatic activities in Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on 1 May, almost two weeks after the Islamic Republic opened the gates of its embassy in Riyadh for the first time in years.
“We are in the first phase of resuming the activity of diplomatic missions between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced.
“Our team in Saudi Arabia is implementing the necessary field and technical measures at a good speed, and we are optimistic about the full return of the activities of the two countries’ representations within the specified time limit. Three Iranian diplomats are currently in Riyadh and Jeddah and have resumed their diplomatic activities,” Kanaani added.
The three diplomats are the newly appointed Iranian ambassador in Riyadh, the Iranian consul – who will take position at Tehran’s consulate in Jeddah – and Iran’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Iran’s Parliament, Vahid Jalalzadeh, said on 1 May that the “policy of strengthening relations with our neighbors is being followed up with well by the government.”
“In order to fully activate the embassies of the two countries and their representation, a series of measures and preparations must be taken, and then the ambassadors of the two countries will be exchanged,” Jalalzadeh added.
On 12 April, the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia opened its gates for the first time since the regional rivals severed ties in 2016.
The diplomatic breakdown happened after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, and Iranian protestors stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
On 29 April, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced that embassies between Tehran and the kingdom would be open “within days.”
The two countries have also agreed on the opening of a joint-trade office.
This comes as part of a broad regional shift away from Washington, which has seen Saudi Arabia rekindle relations with Tehran, Damascus, and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.