Tehran and Riyadh have had tumultuous relations since 1979, when Shiite revolutionaries came to power in Iran and vowed to export their revolution to the world, including Gulf countries. The two countries agreed to restore ties in a landmark Chinese-brokered deal in March of 2023, leading to a thaw in relations after seven years.
Iranian Foreign Minster Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud held a telephone conversation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, discussing bilateral ties and regional developments.
“Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the progress of bilateral relations between the two countries, stressing that Iran is determined to expand bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia as much as possible,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
His remarks were also shared by the Saudi top diplomat, Tasnim added.
Riyadh and Tehran had previously severed ties in 2016 when Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran in retaliation for the kingdom’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
The Chinese-brokered rapprochement followed two years of mediation from Iraq, with Baghdad previously hosting five rounds of talks beginning in 2021 between the regional powers which brought them closer to the final agreement reached in Beijing. Oman also mediated discussions.
