Iran’s Deputy FM Visits Saudi Arabia

Local Editor

Iran's deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first bilateral talks on Monday.

Abdollahian was scheduled to meet Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to discuss bilateral issues, in the first such visit since the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013.

"It is very important for Iran and Saudi Arabia to talk because they both play a role in the region," said Abdullah al-Askar, head of the foreign policy committee on Saudi Arabia's appointed Shoura Council, which advises the government on policy.

Also, in another bout of diplomacy on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met senior Iraqi clerics who played a key role in the country's political crisis by urging Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down.

Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposing sides in wars and political disputes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team