TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced it would reopen its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia this week, restoring diplomatic ties after a seven-year hiatus, state media reported Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, its consulate general in Jeddah and the office of the permanent representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation would officially reopen on Tuesday and Wednesday. .
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish diplomatic ties, under a China-brokered deal, which represents a major breakthrough in the region.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters swarmed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad in protests sparked by the execution of a prominent Shia cleric and 46 others in the oil-rich kingdom.
Kanaani added that Iran’s embassy in Riyadh and its consulate general in Jeddah had already started operating to help Iranian pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, which is expected to begin in late June.