Iran and Saudi top diplomats met in London

Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Matin, the Charge d'affairesof the Islamic Republic of Iran in London, met and held talks with Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to United Kingdom

Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Matin, the Charge d'affairesof the Islamic Republic of Iran in London, met and held talks with Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to United Kingdom

During this meeting, Matin and bin Bandar exchanged views on regional and international issues, expressing satisfaction with the progress in Iran-Saudi relations, and emphasized the importance of continuing contacts.

 

According to news agencseis, diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were severed in 2016  After five rounds of negotiations in Iraq and three rounds of talks in Muscat, the two sides finally agreed on February 8, 2023, to resume diplomatic relations after seven years and three months of severance. Foreign ministers met on March 7 of this year and issued a joint statement. Technical delegations were then exchanged to discuss the process of reopening diplomatic facilities between the two sides. Finally, on June 6 and 7, the Iranian embassy in Riyadh, the consulate in Jeddah, and the Iranian representation office in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah were officially reopened with the presence of the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and Saudi officials.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met again in Beijing and later in Cape Town, South Africa. The third meeting between the two foreign ministers took place on June 17th in Tehran during the visit of Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan to the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the meeting with Amir-Abdollahian, the Saudi Foreign Minister emphasized his country's intention to develop relations with Iran and open a new chapter in bilateral relations.