Iran Reopens 3 Diplomatic Offices in Saudi Arabia

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced the reopening of three Iranian diplomatic offices in Saudi Arabia.

"Three Iranian representations in Riyadh and Jeddah resumed work at the initial stage," the Fars News Agency quoted him as saying. The Iranian diplomat did not clarify the form of Iranian diplomatic missions.

On Friday, Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that "Iranian embassies and consulates will resume operations in the next few days."

On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to normalize relations between the two countries and open embassies within two months. The relevant talks in Beijing, which lasted for several days, concluded with a trilateral statement.

Relations between Riyadh and Tehran soured in March 2015 after the Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis).

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds protesting the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric in Riyadh.