Saudi Ambassador Starts Mission in Iran, Hopes to Take Ties to “Broader Horizons”

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia's new ambassador has started his mission in Iran after a seven-year hiatus, saying that Riyadh seeks to take relations with Tehran toward "broader horizons."

Speaking upon arrival in Tehran on Tuesday, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi said the directives of the Saudi leadership stress the need to "enhance relations and intensify communication and meetings between the kingdom and Iran ... toward broader horizons,” the Saudi Press Agency [SPA] reported.

The two countries agreed to resume diplomatic ties back in March following a Chinese-brokered deal after a seven-year estrangement.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 “represents a road map that reflects all aspects of cooperation that can be built upon to enhance cooperation between the two countries,” al-Anzi added.

He further noted that enhanced cooperation would benefit both nations and consolidate trust between them.

“The two countries would foster cooperation within a strategic perspective that establishes the principles of good neighborliness, understanding, constructive and purposeful dialogue, and mutual respect,” he asserted.

Al-Anzi was formerly Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Oman.

Also on Tuesday, Iran’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati arrived in Riyadh, where he was received by foreign ministry officials and embassy staff.

Prior to his departure, Enayati met with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

Iran officially reopened its embassy in Riyadh in June, followed by its consulate in Jeddah and representative office with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC].

The Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad have also resumed operations.

Last month, Amir Abdollahian made his first visit to Saudi Arabia after the rapprochement, saying bilateral ties are “progressing in the right direction.”

The agreement, signed by the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia in March, stressed the importance of respecting each other's national sovereignty and avoiding interference in each other's internal affairs. It also reaffirmed their commitment to implement previous accords on security cooperation and economic, cultural, and social exchanges.