Iran says ready to resume relations with Saudi Arabia

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday that his country is ready to resume relations with Saudi Arabia “when Riyadh is willing to."

"Tehran is ready to resume diplomatic ties with Riyadh, reopen embassies," Amir-Abdollahian told the Tehran Dialogue Forum.

The top Iranian diplomat said he is ready to hold a joint meeting with his counterparts from the Gulf countries on the sidelines of a regional summit on Iraq in the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday.

The summit will be attended by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, France, as well as Bahrain and Oman, which will attend as guests.

Iran and Saudi Arabia severed their diplomatic relations after Saudi diplomatic missions were attacked by angry mobs in January 2016 following the execution of Shia Saudi cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

The two regional rivals have engaged in negotiations, brokered by Baghdad, in recent months in an effort to restore their ties.

The last few rounds of talks have eased tensions, with Amir-Abdollahian in July hinting that the talks would advance from the security to the political level.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar